Symphonian School Days
by ChaoticChris
Summary: [INDEFINITE HIATUS] AU—By a lot of luck, Lloyd manages with his poor grades to be selected to attend the highest ranked academy in Aselia along with his friends. Only Martel knows the results of this... Warning: The cast of ToS plus academy life can lead to amusement.
1. Welcome to Symphonia!

Yo! Welcome and thank you for clicking to read this story. I hope you will fairly be entertained! :D

Before anyone starts spewing talk of 'Another school-fic? Psshh, that's so bleh!' or 'School-fic… Not much originality, eh?', I've had this idea down for roughly three years in the making and have gone through many sleepless nights for this. So I'd greatly appreciate it if you gave this story a chance.

Anyways, this is my very first fanfic ever, so I plan on putting a lot of effort into this to make this story a worthy one out of the many awesome stories that hold the _Tales of Symphonia_ label so proudly. And besides, I'd rather not want to see my first project be the first 'failure' out of my works.

Well, I'm done rambling! Off to more important stuff.

**Story Overview**

Theme: To _Reinvent_ Resonating Hearts. Re-live the days of Symphonia under a new light.  
Full Summary: School - a word Lloyd Irving would rather not want to hear let alone go to such a place; however due to his coming of age, he must attend four years of mandatory courses at an academy as the world of Aselia permits it. By enormous luck, he manages with his poor grades to be selected to attend the most highest ranked academy in all of Aselia, Symphonia Academy. His talented childhood friends, Genis and Colette, on the other hand, get in with ease and join Lloyd on a journey of academic days. With their arrival, the city of Symphonia will surely not be the same peaceful city it once was.  
Genre: School, Slice-of-Life, Drama, Friendship, Hints of Romance, Mild Humor, Action  
Style: Novelistic  
Point of View: Third-Person Omniscient  
Main Protagonists: Lloyd Irving & Genis Sage  
Current Arc: Freshman Year - 1st Semester

**Pre-Reading Notes**

Normal:  
Present - Actions, "Dialogue", _"Thoughts"_ , _Sounds, Emphasis_

Special:  
Flashback - _Actions_,_ "Dialogue"_, "Thoughts", Sounds, Emphasis  
In Battles - _Incantations, Artes, Techs, Spells, Etc.  
__~ S.S.D. ~_ marks the start of a new scene.  
**[Marks a new time and day.]  
****_~ Intermission ~_** At any time you reach these, feel free to take a breather or do as you please. I placed these here for you to take the opportunity to leave at a point where the story was most understandable to leave off from or start up from. And if you do leave and then decide to return and read where you left off, don't forget to use your hotkeys of the Control Button [Ctrl] plus the letter 'f' which will bring up a search menu. Just simply type in which intermission you left off of and it will take you there. So no more need for tedious scrolling. Also for my loyal reviewers that leave feedback, feel free to just leave open up the Comment Box before you read, and as you do read, simply fill out any thoughts you may have as you go. In this way, you won't forget what you wanted to tell me when you're at the end of the chapter. These intermissions will only appear in chapters with a lot of content and therefore are freakishly long.  
***** - Footnote for this at the end of the chapter in the **Author's Note Time! **section.

**Disclaimer Time:** I own nothing of Tales of Symphonia!

Enjoy! ;D

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**_Ch. 1: Welcome to Symphonia!_**

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Once upon a time, there existed a giant tree that was the source of all mana, The Great Kharlan Tree. It gave life to all those around it and, to the unlucky few, power and lust. Mankind, with the newfound source of energy, clung to the tree for hope and protection. They leeched off its mana for their own accord regardless of the tree's well-being.

To this present day, mankind still lingers by the tree. Their foundation of livelihood centered around its base, Symphonia - the city of unity to man. People all across the world yearn to be apart of such peace. However, very few get the chance.

Symphonia - a city only fit for those worthy of such grace; that is what the humans and elves believed. So they limited the city from anyone whom wasn't of high nobility, holiness, or held 'potential'.

Unshaken and only longing for a better way of life, people kept visiting Symphonia's gates to prove they had potential. Yet, none knew of what potential they sought. One by one, each person was denied.

The founders, hearing their pleas, sent out a propaganda. "Those who seek a new life of grace in Symphonia will have their chance. A yearly scouting will determine whether one has the qualities of benefiting this city. People of all ages, especially those youthful, are urged to participate. Together we all will bring this world harmony." The city, keeping their word, erected an academy, Symphonia Academy - an educational system for the youth to attend in Symphonia to harness their skills and build their potential to bring the world harmony.

And to ensure the message of harmony, the administration and the city's leaders selected from the academy the Chosen, a group of young talented people who held potential. With the city's guidance, the Chosen would go yearly out across the world and unite it spiritually, thus unity would be brought to the lands.

That marked the beginning of the harmonization of the world as well as several young youths academic days.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"Lloyd Irving, wake up! Lloyd!"

_SMACK!_

"Ow!" the young red-clad with blue overalls hollered on impact. He abruptly stood from his seat and thrashed his arms about his head, trying to fend off any other pursuing objects to his ever so spiky brunette head of his. In the midst of his thrashing, he froze, spotting his attacker in an aisle. The teen bent down to pick it up and, befuddled, stared at it. _"A chalk board eraser? Just what in the world would've hit me with an eraser?"_ he thought.

Before the puzzled boy could ponder the true culprit to his dream's end, his gaze adverted from the eraser to the masses of people in front of him huddled behind their tall cushioned seats, some poking their heads into the aisle. Their eyes all shouting the words, "What the heck is wrong with this guy?" The red-clad spun himself around, and to no surprise, there was the same sight. Then it hit him almost like the eraser had.

The sounds of a rhythmic beating of metal, _Cla-clunk! Cla-clunk! Cla-clunk!_, flowed into his ears. The rows and rows of people in seats on the sides of a long carpeted aisle and the passing by greenery from outside the windows, it all finally made sense to him.

He was riding a train.

Uneasy from their stares, he did what he would always do when he was embarrassed. The teen rose a hand and rubbed the back of his head apologetically. His gaze was downward this time.

Luckily for him, his spot light soon ended once noticing a friend wave shyly to indicate where he sat. Taking the offer like a miracle gel on the brink of death, he quickly slid into his seat, gratefully smiling at his savior. It was a long-time childhood friend.

It had been twelve years ago since the two first met, and time does fly during childhood. The blond-haired klutz he knew as a mere child had grown up quite a bit. Her short, blond hair wasn't short anymore. It now cascaded gracefully from her shoulder down to her lower back. Her height was still small however - only coming up by his shoulder. She had a skinny, delicate frame. Still flat as an ironing board in the chest department, though it was barely noticeable due to her white robe garments that draped her. Her face shown of pure innocence to make up for it, her best quality.

The way her bright, sky-blue eyes were always filled with happiness and joy and how those eyes would have glints of light that would shine like the stars of the heavens, it always made his heart feel warm and invited. The way she would smile through any hardship, it gave him the strength to carry on as well. And her lips, how they ever so carefully would border that smile. But the smile she returned to him now was not one of her ordinary ones.

She beamed at him awkwardly as if it she were frightened, her sky-blue eyes darting back and forth from him to something off to her right. Not comprehensive the teen asked aloud, "Hey, Colette, what's wrong? You got something stuck in your eye?"

"Ehem," spat an unknown voice.

Slightly jumping up in his seat at the sound, he slowly directed his attention over to the source of the noise. An upon looking, he immediately regretted to. There sitting across from him was a stern faced woman with crossed arms, her stare almost demonic. One would think so at first glance that she was of the demon race especially upon seeing her silver hair and pointed-ears; however she wasn't. The woman across of him was an ordinary elf who just so happened to be pissed with him, quite clear with her piercing sapphire eyes. They were no where near like his childhood friend's gentle ones but they hid something within. Wisdom most definitely above all, yet he was missing something. Sadness possibly?

Unsure with his outcome, the teen's face reflected the frown of the woman's before him. Seeing this, the wise woman believing he had been mocking her immediately snapped once more, "Ehem!"

Shaken from his own thoughts the teen replied, "Oh, Professor Raine… is the train ride over with?"

The woman known as Raine sighed and paused briefly before speaking, "Honestly, Lloyd, how do you manage to fall asleep in less than ten minutes of my lecture?"

"Whoa, a new record!" Lloyd proudly smiling said while taking his hand, with an extended pointer finger, to rub underneath his nose horizontally back and forth. Then as if he was serious took that same hand and cradled his chin in a thinking pose, "Well, all I do remember doing was boarding the train this morning, getting excited with Colette and Genis about road-trippin' out of Iselia, and seeing the sites. I guess I passed out from getting bored of seeing the green grass, a tree, more green grass, another tree, a big brown boulder, green grass, and on occasion wandering boar and wolves. But I have to admit, it was pretty fun giving them crazy names with Colette." He ended off with a goofy smile.

Apparently the question wasn't meant to be answered. Raine was both displeased and not amused, still baring her crossed arms and demonic glare. This time around she added a little twist, sound effects by tapping her fingers of one hand up her arms in a wave motion.

Lloyd gulped, scared of the consequences of peeving-off Professor Raine to such an extent. Hoping it would help, he took the eraser he still grasped and held it out to her, the true culprit. "Heh-heh. It's yours, right, Professor?"

Silence. Raine didn't even give him a nod in approval. She simply snatched back her dusty chalk board eraser and placed it in her carry-on bag lying on the floor next to her, most likely filled with more school supplies or, how Lloyd now knew it as, her harmful arsenal of throw-able weapons.

"Oh, come on, Raine. At least give Lloyd some slack. He just got excepted into the top most ranked academy on all of Aselia just like the rest of us," came the voice of yet another savior.

Next to Raine by the window sat another silver-haired elf. He was Raine's younger brother and the youngest of the teen trio. He shared the same sapphire-blue eyes as his sister, yet his was more heartfelt and kind while still retaining that same wisdom but to a lesser extent. His face was still fairly childlike, adolescence not quite over. His build was lean but no true muscles. His height was near Colette's but a couple inches taller. He wore his signature blue shorts and blue jacket with white elven swirls, black long-sleeves that were folded to his elbows, and ankle cut shoes.

A thick book lowered in his hands, its cover reading, 'Mana of the World: The Great Kharlan Tree'. A big green tree was planted in the center.

"Yeah, Professor Raine," agreed Colette. "Lloyd accomplished something great."

"… For once in his life," the silver-haired boy murmured, rolling his eyes and raising the book back over his face.

Hearing him, Lloyd shouted, "Shut it, Genis!"

With a sigh, Raine gave in to them, "Fine, but always remember, I am being strict for a reason. The professors of Symphonia aren't so easy-going. They aren't willing to deal with kids who amble about doing as they please. I am just preparing you for what may come your way."

"Speaking of preparing," Raine said while picking up her bag and standing, "I must go and leave for the teacher's cabin. I expect you all to behave for the rest of the ride and when you get off. I don't need to hear news of three chaotic teens causing havoc in the city." She then walked off to her briefing.

As soon as she was gone, the three remaining teens heaved a sigh of relief at their professor's leave. The tension escaping from their lips.

"Man, that was a close one," Genis said, lowering his book yet again to face the brunette. "Lloyd, I'm starting to run out of ways to cover your butt in the thick of things. It's starting to become a big pain."

Hurt, Lloyd retorted, "Well, excuse me for having such wonderful dreams. A brother needs his sleep." A yawn seeped through his teeth. "Today's dream really was exciting."

"Really?" Genis asked. "Enough for you to be beaten out of it with a chalk board eraser? I swear she could've pulled something even more deadly from that tote bag of hers…" His own thoughts drifting off to the wonders of his sister's horrid supplies.

"Ooh!~ Lloyd, what was your dream?" Colette said, happily bouncing into their conversation.

Lloyd, placing his hands behind his head, recalled his dream world, "Well, you guys were in it with me and so was Professor. There were other people as well, but their faces were fuzzy so I couldn't tell who they were. Anyways, we were on this journey in two different worlds. We fought these crazy people with wings. After defeating them, I got this big ass purple sword and reunited the two worlds, saving them both and bringing that tree," he pointed to Genis' book, "to life."

"The Great Kharlan Tree?" Colette questioned. "But Professor Raine said that Martel brought that tree to life."

"And Raine was correct," Genis said, backing up his sister. "It says in this book that both Yggdrasill and Martel brought upon the Great Seed and planted it on Aselia, giving life to our world and ending the war between the factions; Sylvaranti and Tetheallans. It even delves deeper talking about the yearly spring blossoming, a rarity for outsiders."

"Tree blossoming? What is so rare about flowers on a tree?" Lloyd casually asked.

"You don't know about the Blossom Festival?" The two said simultaneously, both in shock.

"It's an event that occurs at the start of every spring," Colette explained. "The flower buds begin to blossom after dusk and the tree lights up with a golden light. Only the people of Symphonia see it since the city surrounds the Great Kharlan Tree, but now we can see it as well!" A gleeful smile appeared on her face.

"Wow, I never knew that. That must be an amazing sight!" Lloyd exclaimed, awestruck. "How'd you guys know about that anyway?"

"Reading," Genis flatly stated, "and I do recall my sis talking about it in her lecture, right, Colette?"

Colette nodded in response. "See. Not all lectures can be boring, Lloyd."

"Sorry, sleeping during anything educational is a hobby of mind," Lloyd said, shrugging.

A small squeal came from Colette, excitement was rising within her. "Oh, I just can't wait 'til the end of our freshman year! It'll be the best graduation seeing those shining flowers on the Great Kharlan Tree."

Lloyd said joining in, "Yeah, me too!"

"You're better off in that strange dream world of yours, Lloyd," Genis said, swinging his legs onto the now empty seat next to him and resting his back on the wall. "With the grades you get, you'd be among the students who will be attending night classes for failing."

"Shut up." A death glare shot Genis' way.

"Just saying," Genis replied honestly, raising the book to his face. "Oh, and you guys should get some shut eye by the way. We still have more three hours to go. Once we arrive there's going to be a welcoming speech to newcomers and freshmen, then we go settle down at the dormitories, so night." Genis placed the book on his face to block out the sunlight and crossed his arms. He began to fall asleep.

Lloyd groaned in thought, _"More educational talk?"_

"Don't worry, Lloyd. I'll help you pass your classes." Colette assured him with her well-known smile.

"Thanks, Colette." He too shut his eyes and began drifting off back to sleep.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"Attention, all students and faculty! The train will be arriving in Symphonia in fifteen minutes. Please gather up any personal items before you leave. Have a nice day and enjoy the grace of Symphonia," the monotone announcer said over the intercom.

Fluttering his eyes open at the voice, Lloyd woke up, yawning. Sleep still rest in his bones, so he began to stretch his arms toward the overhanging luggage compartments above him. When he felt ready, he tried standing from his seat but something weighed him down.

Dumbfounded, Lloyd looked down on his lap to see a bushel of yellow. _"What the…"_ the thought not reaching him yet, _"Colette!"_ Bingo. He soon began struggling about, trying to free himself without waking her. He didn't succeed.

Defeated, Lloyd thought, _"A few minutes more sleeping on my lap isn't gonna hurt me."_

His eyes took in her facial features. _"She's so heavenly when she sleeps."_ Without thinking, he brushed out of her face a lost blond strand and pushed it past her cheeks behind her ears. Her skin was so soft against his fingers. The warmth radiated from her face to his hand.

_Swoosh!~ Clunk!_ went throughout the train, shutting down Lloyd's fixation on Colette. He instinctively poked his head out into the aisle. It had only been the restroom door opening and closing, yet Lloyd panicked. It wasn't the sound that freaked him, it was the person who was coming out of it.

Genis was casually making his way from the restroom back to his seat.

_"Damn, I just had to jinx myself now didn't I?"_ he thought poking back into his seat. _"If he sees this, he's seriously gonna hold it against me… That wouldn't hurt physically but it would mentally."_

Looking back down at the sleeping figure, _"Waking her up would be mean though…"_

_"No time for that! It's only her beauty sleep versus your hide!"_

He listened to his internal self and shook her arm. "Hey, Colette. Come on, wake up!"

Thankfully she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him, "Gwood afternnn, Woyd…" Colette, obviously wrecked with tiredness, took a while to comprehend what position they were in like Lloyd had mere moments ago. "L-L-Lloyd!" she yelled as she shot up in her seat.

"I-I-I'm so, so sorry! So very sorry! I fell asleep and-" Colette's barrage of apologies seeming infinite.

"Colette, it's alright! Just calm down," Lloyd urged, his hands up gesturing a downward motion.

"I was so tired, so I guess I fell onto your lap! I-I didn't intend to stay there! I'm sorry!" Her eyes shut, afraid to hear his verdict. She waited but heard none. She blinked her eyes open and saw before her an awkward sight.

Genis had finally made his way to their row and stopped in front of the two, unknowing to make of Colette's cries. "Um, did I miss something here?"

"N-nothing at all!" Lloyd said a bit to fast.

"Okay…" Genis unsurely said. He made his way to his seat and picked up his book. "We have ten minutes left so let's start gathering our stuff alright?"

"F-fine!" "Y-yes, Genis!"

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Several hundred shoes pounded the stone pavement. All of them rushing out of the cramped train into the sunlight, their minds all set on a new lifestyle ahead of them. Lloyd and Colette were among them. They were one of the first to get out, avoiding the rush. The city of Symphonia was finally seen by their curious eyes. This time it wasn't a picture in a book.

Symphonia - the city of grace and harmony; that's what they called it. And the two began to see why. The buildings soared towards the sky as if connecting the heavens and the land. The orderly residents making their way about town, all wearing clothing of the nobles, scholars, priests or priestess, and academic genius. They all had to be rich. A fountain stood majestically before them. In the middle of it was a crystallized blue woman and her spiky fenrir stood protectively next to her. Water tricked from the center of the podium where the two statues stood on and fell into the pool underneath him. Symphonia was truly peaceful.

"The fountain… it's so beautiful," Colette marveled, trailing off in her own thoughts.

Lloyd amazed as well, walked up to where she stood. "She is and her fenrir looks cool as well."

Colette's eyes continued to bounce around, searching for something off in the distance. "I found it! There it is! The Great Kharlan Tree!" She pointed, bouncing on her heels all the while.

Beyond the bustling city skyscrapers, Lloyd saw something. It was luscious and green, standing out of the usual gray, white, and tan buildings. "Yeah, yeah, it is!"

"The tree looks like a weird, green cloud from here especially above all those buildings," she chuckled in glee.

Seeing her laugh, he began to laugh as well. Colette's joy was like a virus. He couldn't help but be happy. Their laughs erupted into the sky as they thought of how childish they were. It was as if they were a new born child seeing the sites of the world for the first time.

He started to think of back in the old days in Iselia, how small and naïve the three of them had been: Lloyd, Colette, and Genis. He yearned to re-live those days, but he knew he couldn't. At least he still had things left from his childhood. _Them._ Even though they all grew up - Genis now fifteen, Colette now sixteen, and Lloyd seventeen - their personalities never changed. Lloyd was glad for that. He welcomed changes like having the chance to live in such a massive city, but he enjoyed stability even more.

"Colette…"

"Yes, Lloyd?" Colette said, facing him.

A goofy grin appeared on his face, "Thanks for not changing."

"Same to you, Lloyd," she beamed back at him with a smile of her own. "And Lloyd, I'm really sorry about what happened on the train. I didn't mean to."

Lloyd walked up to her. His hand balled in to a fist, gently bonking her on the top of her head. "You dork," Lloyd said playfully. "What did I say before? I'm alright with it."

"… Sorry."

His balled hand opened, this time cradling her blond head. "Just stop saying sorry so much. One day someone's going to think you don't mean it if you keep repeating it. Either that or you're an annoying broken record."

"But, but…" Colette trying to protest. "Sorry."

Lloyd bent down to meet her line of site, allowing his hazel eyes to meet her blue ones. Their breathing could be felt by each other. A blush crept over Colette's cheeks for being so close.

"Colette," his voice serious yet soft and gentle.

"Goddess! ... People these days... No self-respect of others personal space," complained a familiar voice.

The voice had been Genis'. He got stuck with the other people in the rush out of the train, and he finally managed to squeeze out of there. Although he appeared to be struggling with his backpack a bit, plump with stuff from the bottom of the pack to up a foot above his head.

At the sight of his friend, Lloyd rose and retracted his hand back.

Genis stopped walking and bent down once he reached his friends. His hands resting on his knees. "I see how it is… You two just go off… enjoying the city… without me. I feel _real_ loved," Genis sarcastically said, struggling to speak.

"My bad, Genis, I just really got excited about Symphonia," Lloyd apologized, feeling sorry about his friend being fatigued.

"Me too," Colette confessed.

Regaining his breath, Genis rose up, facing them. A determined look was on his face. "Well, don't go thinking you're going to easily leave me behind." Smiles surfaced on all of their faces.

"Well, what are we waiting for now?" exclaimed Colette, bursting with energy. "Symphonia Academy Auditorium here we come!" Her feet taking her down a random path.

"W-wait a second, Colette!" Genis said, scurrying after her. "The auditorium is eastbound, not west!"

With that Lloyd was left alone standing by the fountain. A breeze rushed at him, running through his brown hair and rustling past his clothing, trying to push him deeper into the city. He looked above him towards the sky; no clouds in sight. Nothing but clear blue skies and a welcoming air.

He knew it for certain.

_"This is going to be one fun and exciting freshman year."_

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**Author's Note Time!**

Alright! Our lovable trio has finally made it to Symphonia and their academic days have begun to unfold.

Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, and, if ever possible, would kindly leave a review. Without them, I won't be able to continue. Feedback = Fuel to Write! xD

Also, I wonder if anyone is enjoying the snippets that are similar to scenes from the actual game and a tad bit of the OVA... (How many of them did you catch? ;D) I wanted to pay somewhat of a homage to the original so expect some familiar scenes to be changed school-style! They are pretty fun to incorporate, so I hope none of you will be bothered by them.

Now on to the Preview!

**Preview:**

Next time on Symphonian School Days...

The teen trio get free from the auditorium and are let loose upon the city. As they make their way to the dorms, scary stories are told and chills run through their veins, and the horror doesn't end there. At the dorms, Genis and Lloyd face their biggest worry... Dorm-mates. Just what kind of crazy are they bound to get as a _year-long _room partner?

Find out next chapter, _'Unsettling Settlements'_!

Hope to see you next time! ;3


	2. Unsettling Settlements

To start off, I'd like to re-thank you guys for reading and reviewing the first chapter! I was quite surprised on the amount of feedback, especially since this is my first story. :D

With that said and done, here's the disclaimer and the chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Tales of Symphonia… If I did Dawn of the New World would've been none existent and there would be a _real _ToS sequel. (Sorry DtNW fans. No hard feelings, eh?)

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**_Ch. 2: Unsettling Settlements_**

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"As you begin the new school year, I'd like you all to remember this, 'Potential is born into each living soul at birth. Although it takes one of great grace to awaken that potential.' When regarding this to everyday student life--" the woman with green hair spoke at the podium of the colossal auditorium, continuing her speech. Students were hushed, patiently listening to her words.

It had been like this for forty-five straight minutes. The lady rambled on about the school's founding day all the way to the present. Talking about every last single accomplishment they had achieved that so called 'benefited' the world of Aselia.

Lloyd didn't give an honest crap. It was all just some more pointless blabbering to him; nothing but a waste of breath that could've been used else where to someone who actually did care.

"Man, who the hell is this lady anyway?" Lloyd uninterested and annoyed said, slouching in the auditorium seat even further. "She's boring the shit out of me."

His friends though were actually fixated in her speech. It hypnotized them.

"Quiet, Lloyd," Genis commanded. "She's Head Mistress Pronyma of the academy, the main authority figure, and she's actually giving a decent speech so shush!"

"Pfft, whatever. I only see her as someone who loves hearing herself talk," Lloyd's eyes rolling in displeasure as he waved around a hand.

Head Mistress Pronyma kept going with her speech, "Our vision for this year is to better ourselves for the grace of Symphonia. However, such can't be reached unless we all accept responsibility for a change. We must all have a stern will and an unfailing determination. This is key to achieve the harmony of not only our city but the world outside as well. For us to be able to reap the benefits of our lives, our youths and their knowledge and their willingness must be present. With that, we can go out amongst the world and bring unity and harmony to the land using our born potential, thus bringing Aselia eternal peace. Thank you and enjoy your school year here at Symphonia Academy." She bowed and left the podium. Applause echoed in the auditorium as she left, heading backstage.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"Finally! Freedom at last!!~" Lloyd happily screamed to the sky, his fists extended above his head.

Their welcoming orientation had ended minutes ago and the trio exited the auditorium. The sky was caped in an orange, purple aura due to the setting sun. Dusk was about to be among them.

"Let's head to our dormitories," Genis suggested, seeing the darkened sky, "I don't want to be hulling my stuff in the dark."

"Yeah, that and I also don't want to have to sleep on the streets today," Colette added yawning.

The teen trio walked down the cobblestone pathway. It was shocking that the same streets they were in an hour and a half previously were now near empty. Only a few townsfolk were walking about; they all apparently were either going home or taking a late night shift. The sounds of their footsteps echoed against the tall walls next to them. Either than that, it was complete silence.

"Even though this city is pretty peaceful, it kind of freaks me out to be in the streets at night…" Lloyd said. "Like someone could just come up to you and snatch you away down a dark alley!"

Colette slightly jumped up in fear, "D-don't say things like that, Lloyd. This city is a prestige and civil place."

"Hehehe," Lloyd manically laughed. "That's what they want you to think."

"Oh, just cut the crap, Lloyd!" Genis said. "There is no way in Martel's name that they'd kidnap people off the streets. All these people have to be high class, so they wouldn't even have a need for you." He turned to his left to see if he had been paying attention, but Lloyd wasn't there.

Thinking he stalled and was behind them, Genis turned backwards, "Lloyd?"

Still no Lloyd.

Colette too turned around as well. "Lloyd, where'd you go off to?… Don't tell me someone did snatch him." Colette faced Genis with horror written on her face.

"Come on, Colette, like I said, no one would ever kidnap someone here. Besides, who wants to take an idiot like Lloyd?" Genis said, laughing. "And if they did though, it would be great karma for him with all that spooky, scary story stuff he always does."

Loud rustling and banging on trash cans emitted out from the dark alley beside the two remaining teens. Their attention soon was stuck on it.

"Wh-what was that?!" Colette yelped, hiding behind Genis for protection.

"I-I don't know. It just might have been a stray cat or something. Yeah… that's got to be it," Genis said in denial.

Sadly for them, they heard no animal like sounds, only pounding boots onto the pavement. Soon a human-like figure appeared from the shadows, a demonic smirk stretched from ear to ear. Neither two could have made out any features due to the darkness. They could only see a shadow figure making their way toward them, menacingly.

In defense, Genis yelled, "D-don't you dare hurt us! I can use magic, so back off!"

The shadow figure didn't listen. They only proceeded even with a faster step. Their grin growing even more.

Scared and trembling, Colette stayed behind Genis not making a sound.

"I-I'm w-wa-warning you!" fear seeping into his voice. "S-stay back!"

From the alley, the shadow figure started sprinting towards them with no intentions of stopping. The two teens wrecked with fear could only stand in place. They were paralyzed with shock.

Bracing themselves for what was to come, the two shut their eyes and covered their faces with their arms. Screams immediately reached out of their mouths, "Ahhhh!!!"

Something confused them though. Neither of them felt anything - no numbness, no pain, no suffocating bag. Regaining their courage, the two opened up their eyes and moved back aside their arms.

"Pfftshh… Ahahahahahaha!!" erupted from the man before them.

Genis, seeing the perpetrator, was pissed. "Lloyd! Why, you?!" his voice rising in anger.

Colette was on the verge of passing out but managed to speak, "Th-that wasn't nice, Lloyd."

"Y-you should've seen your guys' faces!" Lloyd laughed as he clutched his stomach from laughing so much. "I can use magic, so back off! And the classic… Ahhhh!!!" he mocked and then went back to his fits of laughter.

Not amused at his behavior and actions, Colette and Genis both wore frowns on their faces.

"You know what, next time something like this happens I'm not going to use magic," Genis indignantly said as he began to walk off. "I'm just going to punch him square in the face instead. That'll be way more satisfying."

"W-wait, Genis," Colette called, "we have to wait for Lloyd."

Without turning back, Genis said, "Leave him there. Let him stay on the streets so he can get attacked and see how it feels. It'll serve him right."

Colette looked back down at Lloyd. He still was laughing but his stomach had hurt so much he began to literally roll on the ground. Seeing that, she made up her mine.

"At least slow down for me, Genis," Colette shouted, running towards him. "I don't want to get lost!"

Back by the dark alley, Lloyd was still laughing it up. "Ahahahaha! Y-you two… ahaha… don't lea--ahaha… leave me--ehehehehehe!!~"

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"Here it is, Dormitory 2-D, our men's dorm," Genis declared, reading the slip of paper with directions on it and then glancing up at the building before him.

"Wow, it's pretty massive," Lloyd said.

The men's dorm they were assigned to was meant for freshmen and sophomores only, the lower classmen. Upperclassmen, on the other hand, had their own building or chose to live in the residential area. Despite this, Dorm 2-D was a whopping five stories high. And that wasn't even the only lower classmen boys' dorm they had here in the academy.

"Do they seriously have that many students?" Genis whispered to himself. "I'm going to have a lot of competition for 1st in class."

"Well, I think I found my dorm as well," Colette announced facing the other direction.

She was right. The women's Dormitory 3-C was only a block across from the men's 2-D dorm. It too had five stories and was exclusive to the lower classmen.

A yawn escaped her lips. "I think I'm going to go unpack and head off to sleep. Good night and sweet dreams you two."

"Hold on a sec, Colette," Lloyd called after her. "Don't you want me to walk you over there? It's already night and you wouldn't want to be snatched, right?"

Colette, remembering the walk over here, assured him, "Oh, I'll be okay. It's not far at all. Besides, Genis already consoled me about the kind of people here when you were busy laughing. And your act you put on made me more brave and less scared." She beamed a final smile and started to stroll off to her dorm, causing Lloyd to be dumbfounded and downhearted.

Once she was out of ear shot, Genis tormented him, "Ha-ha! You got re-jec-ted!!~" His tongue playfully sticking out for him to see.

"Genis, shut it!" shouted an angered Lloyd.

"Hey, you got the karma that was coming to you," Genis said, walking toward the dormitory entrance. "And how was I supposed to know you made that all up so you can just go alone with her and drop her off, which by the way, is an actually decent plan coming from you for it to work half-way."

"Plan? What do you mean by plan?" Lloyd's anger briefly dieing down in confusion.

"You know," Genis said, pulling open the door, "the plan where the main protagonist serenades the girl by telling her that she would always be safe because he'd protect her. That jazz."

Making his way to the door as well, Lloyd responded, "Serenade the girl… ? Wait… you think me and Colette-- Hey! We're just friends, and as friends we always have to look after one another."

"Someone's in denial…" Genis whispered to himself, his eyes rolling all the while as he went through the doorway.

"Wha-- Hey, don't go walking off and whispering things to yourself. If you want to say something, say it so I can hear you!" Lloyd proclaimed as he followed Genis through the door.

As the two teens walked in, they found themselves in a vast lobby. Seating areas with tables were laid about and decorative flower pots and trees accommodated corners. There were even a couple of televisions hovering from the ceiling in front of the seating areas. Equally spaced apart were large portraits and murals of people and places in Aselia on walls. And in the middle was a main info desk that wrapped around in a full circle.

Stepping across the marbled tiles underneath them, Lloyd and Genis made their way to the info desk. Seated there was a young adult, roughly in his late twenties. He was busily typing away at the holographic keyboard putting data on the digitized screen. His short auburn hair bouncing as he glanced from screen to screen.

Upon seeing in the corner of his eye, he told them, "Names please."

"Genis Sage."

"Lloyd Irving."

The man typed out their names onto the keyboard and clicked enter. He then rolled himself to the other side of the circle desk where there was a round device with a slit on top. Out popped out two cards, one for Lloyd and one for Genis.

Taking them, the man scooted back to the two and handed them the cards. "These are your Student IDs. Don't end up loosing them or else someone could access your gald reserves. They are also a means of gaining access to places on campus such as your dorm room, library, lab rooms, and etcetera. Also not only is your name and face on there, but your dorm number, year as a student, and other personal info as well. If you have any questions, just ask me or any of the info clerks." With his mini speech said, the man returned back to his computer, typing more data down.

"Well, isn't this convenient?" Lloyd said, picking up his card.

Genis picked his up also. "Yup. Technology these days really makes the days of having keys look old fashioned."

Scanning his card, Lloyd read aloud, "It says I got 'Floor 3: Room 53'. You?"

"I have 'Floor 3: Room 72'. We got the same floor at least."

The two walked inside a nearby elevator and pressed the button '3'. The humming of the elevator bounced around inside as the doors closed and the elevator rose.

"I just hope I don't get anyone crazy for a dorm-mate," Lloyd sighed, thinking about the different types of insane dorm-mate he could get.

Agreeing, Genis replied, "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"I can see it now… " Lloyd began, motioning his arms outward in an arc-like manner in front of his face. "You'll end up with a normal looking teenager to live with but the thing is… the entire room you live in will be haunted! You find out your dorm-mate is a ghost who kills anyone that enters the room, so you must fight for your life!!"

Genis gave a glare, "What did I tell you about those absurd stories of yours?"

"Heh-heh, sorry. I get carried away sometimes," Lloyd admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "But you know, you can't be too cautious, so sleeping with one eye open at all times isn't such a bad idea."

A chime rang through the elevator indicating the ride's end and the sliding doors opened. The third floor was right before them. Several dorm rooms were open and people were bustling in and out of them making it apparent that they too were settling down. Even so, the hallways were wide enough to have both Genis and Lloyd walk side by side despite having to avoid the luggage cases lined up on the walls.

Lloyd began reading off the number plates out loud as he walked, anticipating when he'd walk into his new room and throw his stuff aside as well, then, of course, fall into a deep well deserved slumber. "45... 47... 49... 51... Ah, here we go, Room 53," he said, stopping in front of the door.

"Well, it's time for our parting 'til morning, eh, Lloyd?" Genis said, extending his hand out to him. "Best of luck with your dorm-mate."

Reaching out and grabbing his hand, Lloyd replied, "Same to you too. Night."

"Night, Lloyd," Genis said. The silverette then began walking down the hallway to his own room.

Lloyd returned to his dorm door, taking one last deep breath before shoving his card across the slot located on the handle. Hearing the _Click!_ he knew his room was unlocked and placed his right hand on the handle and turned it.

_"Dear, Martel. Please let it be a good dorm-mate,"_ his final wish as he pushed open the door.

Inside, the room was like a regular hotel. By the window was a bed and another bed was on the other wall across from it. Next to the beds were bedside tables, complete with individual lamps and clocks. To the corner opposite the window bed was a small television and just beside that the closet. The room was quaint but good enough to live in for a year.

Lloyd wasn't the only one in the room though. There laying down on the window bed was a red-headed man, his arms folded behind his head and his right leg propped up on his left. He had long hair like Colette's but his was wavy. He appeared slightly taller than him, about a few inches higher, and he looked older as well. He wore a pink vest, white trousers, and resting on the floor by his bed were his white boots.

"Richter-baby!~ You've finally returned!" called the red-head, his eyes still closed shut.

Perplexed, Lloyd stated, "Richter? I'm not Richter."

The red-head opened one of his crimson eyes and looked up at Lloyd. "Well, who are you then, kid?"

"Give me your name, and I shall give you mine," Lloyd demanded.

Rising from the bed and swinging his legs over the edge, the man fully opened both eyes and replied, "Ah, Beauty before the Beast, right? The name's the Great Zelos Wilder, kid. I'm a second year sophomore. What brings you here in my room?"

Trying not to shout out at the 'Beast' comment, Lloyd reluctantly gritted his teeth and spoke, "The name's not kid, it's Lloyd Irving. I'm a freshman and this is my assigned dorm room."

"Hmm… So Richter did exchange out to that scientist Aster's room. Man, just when I was about to show him how much more fabulous his hair would look wavy like mine," Zelos said, pondering aloud. He then got up from the bed and made his way to Lloyd, encircling him and examining him. "Lloyd… sounds like a clichéd name. We're definitely going need to change that."

"What!? I am not a cliché!" protested Lloyd.

Zelos had not heard him though, he was too lost in his own mind. "Yes, yes. That is the one! … Your new name shall be Bud! Short for Buddy."

"B-Bud!? That sounds like some butler name!"

"Exactly. Fits you quite perfectly my new friend. Now the last thing we have to do is fix that hair of yours to be more presentable. How about extensions? I can totally see you with long hair as I but not as fabulous of course." Zelos soon began posing in front of the mirror inside the open closet, flipping about his hair all the while and whacking Lloyd in the face with his fabulous, flowing red hair.

"Pfft," Lloyd spewed, spitting out Zelos' hairs.

_"Great, just great. I have a stuck-up narcissistic man that believes me to be butler material as a dormy. Thanks, Martel."_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Elsewhere down the hallway, Genis had reached his room, his sapphire eyes staring upward at the golden numbers.

"Okay, Room 72," he said to himself, grabbing hold of the handle.

In that instant of grasping the cold metal in his hand, he felt a jolt a massive mana surge through his fist and veins, running throughout the course of his entire body. It didn't harm him, but it left him shaken to the core. He stumbled backward a few steps in alarm_._

_"What, what was that?!" _he thought in slight panic. He glanced over to his right and left, scanning the hallway about to see if someone else felt such a presence of mana. To no avail, all his fellow peers were simply conversing with one another as they moved their luggage in.

_"I-it was just me?"_ Genis looked down at his open right palm. It still continued to shake even after releasing the door knob.

_"Maybe… Maybe Lloyd was right?! What if __there _is_ a sinister spirit that haunted beings that entered its room? I don't want to die!" _Afraid, he clutched his silver head.

_"… H-hold on a sec… What the heck am I thinking?!"_ He let go of his head and drowned his fear._ "Lloyd being right? Pfft, yeah!"_

Whipping out his card, Genis held onto the knob and swiped it across the slot, and without anymore hesitation, he swung open the door and walked inside.

_"Strange… The presence of mana that I felt before wasn't apparent the second time I tried opening the door, nor do sense that its source is in here," _he thought as he looked around the room. His curious, sapphire eyes stopped as he reached the figure standing by the bed farthest from the window.

On top of the bed was a couple luggage cases and bags open making it obvious the teen was unpacking. Being polite though he stopped unpacking and walked over to Genis.

"Hi, I assume you will be my dorm-mate, am I correct?" the boy asked as he appeared under the moonlight, holding out an open hand.

Now underneath the light, Genis could make out his features. He had earthy-green eyes and blond hair that went down to his shoulders. The boy was cloaked in a white robe and white shoes, all of which were embroidered in green. To match the green, his pants were the same shade. His wrists jingled due to the violet braces that were around them. His height was slightly taller than Genis' but only by a few centimeters.

"Yes, the name's Genis Sage - freshman," Genis replied, outstretched his own hand and accepted the handshake. _"This guy isn't emitting the mana… so who could've it been?"_

"I'm Mithos Mortis and a freshman as well. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Genis released his hand from the handshake. "I see you were unpacking. Sorry for interrupting." His hand motioned over to the luggage cluttered bed.

The blond-haired, Mithos, glanced over, "Oh, it's not a problem. I'm almost done anyway." Mithos turned back to Genis, eyeing his plump backpack. "Although you seem to have quite a lot of settling down to do."

"Haha, yeah. I should've listened to my sis about only taking the important things, but I kind of got carried away and brought more than the necessities," Genis replied.

"If you need help putting things away, I can help if you'd like."

Genis declined the offer, shaking his head. "Ah, no, you really don't have to. I don't want to burden you into my personal matters."

"Well, if you say so. Keep in mind though, you probably would want to sleep early since tomorrow is the first day of classes," Mithos said, turning around and making his way to his bed.

"Sleep, huh?"

_"You can't be too cautious, so sleeping with one eye open at all times isn't such a bad idea."_

Genis' silver head slumped down in distress, mumbling to himself, "Idiot Lloyd."

A heavy sigh escaped him as he carelessly trudged to the bed by the window. Genis thought to himself, _"Tonight is going to be a tiresome night."_

* * *

**Author's Note Time!**

Awww! Poor Lloyd and Genis. Both of our leading protagonists are having a terrible night. Maybe the first week of classes will be better?

For Mithos' last name, I didn't want to name him Yggdrasil as his last name for matters left unsaid… The way I'd like it to be pronounced is the 'i' in Mortis to be like if your saying the letter 'e' like in the word 'me' and not like when you pronounce 'i' in the word 'miss'. (Hopefully that meant sense to someone…)

Oh and yay for another homage scene! xD (I couldn't resist plopping in the rejection scene. It was too good not to be resurrected! ;D ) There's not too many like in the first chapter so the story isn't filled to the brim with unoriginality. I have no intentions of this just being a complete rip of the game at all I assure you. There will be other themes and content ahead!

Anyways, second chapter over! Wootness!!~ I hope you all liked the chapter and hope you will kindly take the time to review 'cause reviewing leads to more chapters. ;D

If any of you have any questions relating to anything else, feel free to ask. Now let the Preview roll in!

**Preview:**

Next time on Symphonian School Days...

The gang has finally settled down in their dorms, but they can't get too cozy. Classes have begun and they are already being thrown with trials left and right. Can this truly be better than their life in Iselia?

Find out in the next chapter, _'New Faces, First Impressions - Part 1'_!

Hope you check back soon! ;3


	3. New Faces, First Impressions Part 1

Woohoo!~ I'm back and alive to give you guys the 3rd chapter of Symphonian School Days! ;D

Warning: Big rant ahead!! Man, it's been like a good two weeks since my last update... Feels slightly weird not staying in the one week time period of regular updates, and I apologize for that in. I haven't gone and done any new writing in the past weeks. So I had to cut back the release of any new chapters. I mostly blame AP World History for that! D: Just these past two weeks of fanfic absence, I've had countless assignments, one of which had the entire class freaking out about. It was 22 essay questions, I repeat, _22_ essay questions due on Friday of this week, but she decided to push back the due date to the next week. I still have a lot of other things to do, but I can manage them on the weekend since they aren't really due 'til next week either... And to think that is just one class! Goodness, I hate History so much. Why do I even care for it? ... T__T

Raine: Ehem! What did you say about History?!?! *Bares her death glare.*

Cwister: Oh, great... Just what I needed.

Raine: You students should really appreciate History more! It is a very important subject that delves into our world, expanding people's knowledge to greater extents to help us achieve better things in life. That and it's quite fascinating and marvelous!! *Death glare dies down to sparkling admiration and drifts off in her mind.*

Well, now that Professor Raine is distracted by her thoughts on History... I can continue regularly. Haha. xD

Anyways, that's why I'm able to update today, on a Thursday, due to the shift of due dates. :D Why a Thursday? Well, check your calendars! Today's December 10th - the official Japanese release date of _Tales of Graces_!! Just want to make this update in commemoration to it. ;D If you don't know about it by now, it's the new Tales of... Game for the Nintendo Wii, and I have high hopes for it. Now I just have to wait paitently if Namco decides to localize it outside of Japan. *Crosses Fingers.*

**Disclaimer Time:** Namco owns Tales of Symphonia and all its endearing characters...

Cwister: ... except for Raine. She is not really considered 'endearing'. xD

Raine: *Snaps out of History trance, re-baring death glare.* Punishment Time!

Cwister: I'm joking, Professor Raine, just joking! Please, don't give me the _punishment_!! D:

Raine: HAA! *Jumps up and does a flying kick into Cwister's stomach brutally.*

Cwister: AHHH!! *Soars off the ground, collides with a wall, and slides to the floor." Ow... Note to self: Never, _ever_ mess with Professor Raine.

Lloyd: *Pops up out of nowhere, waving a hand.* I learned that long ago at the beginning of Symphonia at the Iselia temple! Cwister, you're super slow, you know that?

Cwister: *Is seeing stars.* Heh-heh. V-v-very f-funny, Lloyd. *Passes out.*

Lloyd: And the 3rd Chapter finally begins after a long skit scene! Thank you for being paitent and reading through all this! If Cwister was still conscious, she'd give you major kudos. ;D

**

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**_Ch. 3: New Faces, First Impressions_ ~_ Through Hazel Eyes_ ~**

* * *

The first week of anything always ends up to be complete hell, whether it be the first week of moving to an alien place and being the new guy, to dealing with the people you swore you'd avoid, to even starting school. Sadly and unluckily for Lloyd and Genis, they were experiencing all three.

_~S.S.D~_

**[Monday]**

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

The infernal buzzing reached the brunette's ears. He groaned in displeasure. It signaled something he despised almost as much as school work. Mornings.

To Lloyd, it was an annoyance. It erupted him from his dreams that he fairly enjoyed and sent him off to a place he detested even more which was school. But at least classes brought him back to his sleep world, not wake him up from it.

From beneath the covers the brunette tossed and turned, grabbing his pillow and pressing it on his ears to block the clock's ringing and it worked… slightly. After plugging his ears, Lloyd could still hear the faint beeping.

Eventually, he succumbed to his annoyance. Out of the layer of blankets, outstretched a fist hovering above the clock and down it came like a hammer, smacking into the off switch and ending the terrible ringing. The clock rolled off the table and clanged on the floor shortly after impact.

A satisfying sigh escaped Lloyd's lips at the sound of silence. He buried himself deeper into his blankets; sleep was the only thing on his mind.

Mere minutes later, Lloyd had drifted back to sleep. His light snoring signified this.

Unknowingly by his bedside stood a red-headed figure clothed in the Symphonia Academy uniform of whites and reds. The clock that was once ringing before was now held in his hand.

"My, my, my. Isn't it bad to be sleeping in on the first day of classes, eh?" the red head spoke to no one in particular. "Well, I should fix that now shouldn't I?" A glistening smirk grew on his face and a bright magic circle swirled around, surrounding him.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

By Room 72, a messy bush of silver hair popped-out into the hallway, ensuring to close the door behind him. Genis, like the red-headed man, was clothed in the school uniform of white and red, but his golden emblem on his chest was different and so did the number on his collar. It signified him as a freshman.

With a loud yawn, Genis stumbled down the silent hall, dragging his feet all the while. He was too tired to care due to a good portion of his night was simply laying on his bed in paranoia, and it showed in his eyes. The once intelligent, blue eyes were now dull and flat, practically lifeless. Around them were dark rings and a few bags hanging.

"Hey, Genis!" called a voice behind him.

Not expecting the break in silence, Genis jumped slightly. "Wha-what?!" stammering as he turned slowly to meet face to face with the person who frightened him.

"Morning! Sorry for scaring you; did you think I was a ghost?" the blond boy said as he slowed to a stop beside Genis.

"Heh-heh, very funny. You, Mithos, a ghost," Genis forced a laugh and a smile, rubbing his eyes to make his vision clearer and an attempt to try to wash away any urges of sleep and his edgy-self.

"Uh, did I say something wrong?"

Finished rubbing his eyes, Genis replied. "Oh, it's nothing. Let's just head to the food court now. I need some caffeine to fuel me." He then continued his walk down the hall.

"I told you, if you needed help unpacking so you can go to bed on time that I would help," Mithos said following alongside Genis. "But I'm right behind you with the caffeine though."

As they rounded the mid-fifty rooms, the two teens heard a deafening wail, "AAAHHHHH!!!" Immediately after, they could hear a loud _Thump! _as if a body crashed, falling onto the floor.

Stunned, the two stopped in their tracks, eyeing one another for an acceptable reason for such a ruckus. Before one of them could say anything, out barreling from Room 53 was a dripping wet brunette. His hair slumped over his eyesight and clung to his face, and his pajamas clung onto him as well. Disorientated and slightly blind, he ended up rebounding off the walls. But in the commotion, the brunette still managed to hold onto a towel and the ever noticeable white and red uniform.

Genis, easily identifying the brunette, called out, "Lloyd? Why are you running about, and more importantly why the heck are you soaked?!"

Aligning himself, Lloyd made sure he wouldn't bump into anymore walls and began sprinting down the hall, breezing by both Genis and Mithos. All he could manage to yell back at them was, "Overslept, overslept, oveerrrsleeppptt!!"

Chuckling lightly, Genis said as he watched his friend run off, "That's Lloyd for ya."

Mithos, still confused and wearing a mystified expression, asked, "If that guy is heading to the bathes shouldn't he be headed for the elevator in the _other _direction?" His hand pointing to the direction they were intending to go.

Genis' eyes drifted toward the dorm ceiling, recalling the items Lloyd was holding. "Well, that's true…" He shrugged, believing that his old pal could hold his own. "I'm positive he'll find out sooner or later."

"Who was that guy anyway?"

"Lloyd," Genis turned to face Mithos, answering. "Lloyd Irving - he's a good friend of mine."

Folding his arms and turning around, Mithos said, "Lloyd Irving, huh…" The blond's voice drifted off.

Concerned, the silverette spoke, "Uh… Mithos?"

"Lloyd…" Mithos swiveled back to face Genis, a friendly smile on his face, "I'd like to meet him in person one day. He seems like a fun guy."

"_Normal teenager?"_ Genis thought to himself. _"… I hope so."_

The two continued to walk down the hall, and as they stepped in front of Room 53, out popped another person; this time it was someone with long, crimson hair. The red- haired man wore a grin and clapped their hands together as if finishing a dirty job.

Genis defined the man's glistening smile as obnoxious, and it never left as he spoke, "And that, my kiddies, is how we wake up a freshman properly." And he walked off, not saying another word. The man left by humming a tune and singing something relating to 'freshmen' and 'initiations' as he entered the elevator and its doors shut, lowering him down into the lobby.

Huffing and crossing his arms, Genis angrily rambled, "What an ass! He was grinning like an idiot the entire time. Just who does that guy think he is?!"

"Heh, no kidding," Mithos joined in. "That man you call an idiot is actually known to everyone else on campus as Mr. Great Zelos Wilder, the most popular underclassman and one of the sophomore Chosens here at the academy."

Genis simply scoffed, "More like Mr. Obnoxious. Even with those high-class titles, nothing can compete with that repugnant attitude of his."

"Repugnant? You just met him now didn't you?" Mithos questioned.

"Well…" Genis paused, making sure to word appropriately. "When you keep to yourself around people, you notice stuff faster."

"Ah, I see."

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"_Ugh! Damn, Zelos! Did he really have to wake me up in such an annoying way?! Not only did I oversleep, but he decides to drown me in an elemental water tech? Seriously!"_ Lloyd fumed in thought, rushing as he took off his uniform revealing physical fitness wear underneath. He stuffed the uniform he just took off into the gym locker and rushed out the double doors to head to the field.

On Monday mornings, Lloyd had Artes class. No not 'Arts' class where you do artistic crafts but 'Artes' as in techniques in battle. All the students in Symphonia had to attend such a class. It was permitted to ensure students to be able to defend one's self as well as others. That and to also make sure everyone was fit.

Exasperatedly, Lloyd jogged over to the bleachers just in time as the Artes teachers blew the late whistle. He made it up the steps and sprawled out over the cold metal that was not in use next to Colette, gasping for breath all the while.

"Lloyd?! What happened to you?" Colette asked, afraid her friend would pass out at any moment.

Through breaths, Lloyd manage to speak, "Long… story… Don't… ask…"

At ground level stood the three proctors, readying themselves for the introduction.

"Hello, students, and welcome to Defensive Artes with me, Yuan Ka-Fai, and my assistant, Botta Buichi," announced a man wearing cyan fitness clothes and cerulean-blue hair tied back into a ponytail. He pointed off to the side of him to a man with spiky, black hair and a beard who too wore a similar fitness wear but of the reds and whites of the academy.

"And I am Kratos Aurion," spoke a man with auburn hair and a medium build that was easily defined by his tight fitted violet and obsidian-black gym gear. "I, unlike Professor Yuan, shall be teaching you the Offensive Artes. To start off, I want my group to stay here by the bleachers doing crunches and push-ups for warm-ups. It'll help raise your overall strength and your ability of channeling mana throughout your body."

"As for my class, we will be doing laps across the field back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until I say otherwise," Yuan said. "It helps build stamina and speed which you will need in both kinds of Artes but greatly in times of protecting yourself."

The two classes split to their respective areas and began their exercises. For Lloyd and Colette, they had Yuan's Defensive Artes class first.

Simple jumps, sprints, and hurdles is what they did in the field. And for once, Lloyd excelled above everyone in this category despite his previous state. He gracefully made his way across the obstacle course and then back again. He was outlasting many poor souls as people left and right of him began to pass out and lay down on the green, inviting grass. But Lloyd didn't let the pain get to him and kept on going. He felt like he was just getting warmed up.

"_Alright! My speed's good and my agility is on par. I just need to accelerate better as I go over those hurdles,"_ Lloyd thought as he rounded the rows of hurdles. _"I can do it this time!"_ Confidence was bursting within him.

Before he could get there, he stopped in his tracks when he heard a scream, "Ahhhh!! Wa-watch out!!!"

Turning around, Lloyd saw a blur of black and violet collide with him, pushing him downward to the ground.; gravity was working against the two. As Lloyd was falling, he tumbled into one of the hurdles thus causing it to fall into the next one in front of it, then so on, and so on like a domino affect. People that were still in the hurdle course began falling as well due to the collapsing hurdles.

"Owwww…" Lloyd grimaced in pain. "I think I hit a rock."

He soon felt something quite squishy lying on his chest almost like jelly. Looking downward, Lloyd saw the origin of the black and violet blur. It was a raven-haired girl who apparently was the owner of the squishy bust resting on his chest.

The raven-haired girl, noticing how close they were, immediately stood up and covered her chest as she bowed. "I-I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to crash into you and make both of us fall. It's just that…" the girl made her way to a few paces behind her and kicked a pitfall in the dirt," I'm prone to falling in any type of hole…"

Lloyd replied, "Ah, I understand. So you're like really unlucky, huh?"

"I guess you could put it that way… Oh! All of this just happened and I haven't even introduced myself. I'm a sophomore, Sheena Fujibyashi," she said with a slight wave.

Winking and saluting, "Freshman Lloyd Irving here to break your fall anytime," Lloyd said, grinning a friendly smile.

"Hehe. Thanks, Lloyd." A slight blush crept over Sheena's face as she spoke.

"Hey!" came the voice of Colette as she jogged toward the two underclassmen. "Lloyd, Fujibyashi-senpai, are you two okay? Everyone saw what happened."

Startled, Lloyd asked, "Colette? You know Sheena?"

"Yeah, she's my dorm-mate," Colette smiled in response.

"Oh, I see. Makes sense."

"Hey!!~ Irving and Fujibyashi, you destructive duo have to go and place back all the hurdles that you made fall! The class needs to keep up the cardio!" hollered Yuan from across the field.

Hearing their professor, both Lloyd and Sheena looked over the hurdle course and saw that they had knocked down completely all of the hurdles that were out in the field.

"Heh-heh," Lloyd forced a fake laugh. "We got a lot of hurdles ahead of us now don't we?" he said, rustling through his brown bush of hair in embarrassment.

Sheena sighed in agreement, "… _A lot _of hurdles."

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Tuesday]**

The next morning, it hit Lloyd. This time it wasn't Zelos' arte attack. It was the pain from yesterday's Artes class. Once Professor Kratos' regime began, the burn started to kick in, but Lloyd, like he had before, paid it no mind. Now he regretted to. Lloyd groaned in agony, curling up in a ball before sliding off his bed and turning off his clock that had yet to alarm. He turned from his bedside table to direct himself to the closet only to come face to face with none other than Zelos himself.

"G'mornin' again, Bud!" Zelos cheerfully announced, wrapping his arm around Lloyd's neck and leaning on him causing Lloyd to wince at the pressure of him. "I see you don't need me to awaken you this morning."

"Ugh… that's the last thing I want," Lloyd stated, prying off Zelos' arm hold and rubbing his sore neck. "I'm already in enough pain as it is; I don't need you to make things worse."

"Oh, sorry, Bud. Didn't know you couldn't handle one Artes class. Besides, you should be thanking me for yesterday. Without me, you would've been late for class!" Zelos valiantly declared, posing as a hero by placing his hands on his sides.

When Lloyd reached the closet, he felt an excruciating spike running through his head. "Ah!" he yelled, clutching his head with his hand. He pondered the reason for such pain, and it soon came to him. "Did she really have to be so unlucky to fall and cause me to hit a rock? … Really?"

"She? By some chance, was it Sheena Fujibyashi who fell in a pitfall?" Zelos asked, waving his hand about in curiousity.

"Um, yeah. You know her?" replied Lloyd as he picked out his uniform of the day.

"We're great friends! She's my number one big, busty banshee!!" Even though Lloyd was facing the closet, away from Zelos, he could picture that exuberant face of his pursed in delight at the thought of a woman.

"Oh, really? That's pretty hard to believe when you're always lined up with a row of women everyday."

"True, but Sheena is one of a kind, like a lone rose in a field of dandelions." Zelos closed his eyes in thought. "She's the only one to return the love that I send her in the complete opposite fashion, quite unlike other women. The other women, my hunnies, shower me with affection while she showers me in affliction. And--" Zelos re-opened his crimson eyes to look at Lloyd only to find him exiting the room. "Hey, Bud! You just going to leave me in the middle of my monologue?!"

"Yup, don't want to be late again," Lloyd casually said, opening the door. "Also I have a question, how _exactly_ did you know Sheena was the one to fall by a pitfall?"

A devious smirk slowly grew on Zelos' face before he turned to his side, hiding his expression. "Sometimes, Bud, things are better left unknown."

Lloyd, although still confused, didn't bother to question the man any further. He walked out of the room to prepare for another day.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Arithmetic that morning was fairly relaxing for Lloyd. He made it to class on time and wasn't in a rush like yesterday in Artes class. When he got there, he noticed a familiar face, Genis, seating in the front row of seats and talking with an unfamiliar face - a blond boy with glasses.

"_Well, that's out of the norm. Genis being social to let alone some stranger? … Weird,"_ Lloyd thought to himself. Not wanting to interrupt their discussion, Lloyd looked at the board, saw his assigned-seat number, and then went seat searching for it.

After finding it in the forth row near the middle of the row and the entire class, Lloyd set his stuff down beside him and slumped his arms and face onto the desk to lay his head down, waiting for class to start.

"_Ugh… body still hurts…"_ he complained in thought. The pain soon began drifting him to sleep, but soon enough a loud slam of the class door awakened him. Lloyd instantly shot up from his arm pillow and glanced about, finding the cause of the noise.

There walking from the door was a spiky, sea-green haired man. He wore a grim frown on his face and mumbled curses under his breath about something relating to 'Classroom doors should be updated to be automatic for handicaps.' or something like that.

Lloyd began to understand and see why. The strange man had an eye-patch that covered one eye and a gigantic gold plated brace that engulfed his entire right arm. Such a peculiar person sent Lloyd into a chuckling fest.

"_He's like a deranged pirate!"_ He continued to laugh. _"That eye-patch just fits him, and instead of a peg leg, he has that golden arm which is probably what his stolen loot turned into!"_

Every student but Lloyd was hushed, his laughter setting him apart form everyone else. The man known to Lloyd as the 'Deranged Pirate' glared over to the sound, causing Lloyd to jump in his seat, silencing himself. As if making eye contact would send him to purgatory, Lloyd hid by placing a arithmetic book in front of his face.

With the entire room now quiet, the pirate man spoke, "This is Arithmetic 1, and I'm your Professor, Forcystus. Today we'll be covering Chapters 1 and 2 in your textbooks. Now open to page 27--"

Lloyd sighed with relief as he listened the words of Forcystus from behind the book he buried his nose in. _"Heh-heh… Too close for comfort."_ He turned to page 27 and continued to listen.

"Today we're learning about different types of triangles; scalene, isosceles, and equilateral. All of which--" Forcystus kept on his speech.

Meanwhile Lloyd, clueless, stared dumbly at the pictures of the stated shapes. _"Triangles? What's so different about 'em? They are the same in the end… just triangles."_

Lloyd sighed, looking up from the book. He spotted Genis in the front row, easily answering questions when he raised a hand. The other student with the glasses and blond hair that Genis was speaking to previously was also raising their hand… It was almost as if the two were racing.

But Lloyd didn't bother to linger on the thought too long; pain soon swept back at him, numbing him to sleep. His head soon lay on the cold wooden desk and emitted light snores.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

_SLAM! _echoed across the room, awakening Lloyd from his sleep. He bolted up in his chair, screaming, "You can take all my gald and loot! Just don't kill me, Professor Pirate!!"

It took a while for Lloyd to get a feel of the situation he was in. To obviously note, he noticed many of his classmates eyes fixated on him; all were silent. Genis in the front row was the only one mouthing words to the brunette to 'Sit down and look beside you!', but for Lloyd, it was too late for that.

Next to the stunned brunette was Forcystus, he apparently was the one who took Lloyd's book of shelter and clamped it shut, causing such a loud sound. His one good eye, the one not hidden from the eye-patch, stared at him coldly with dismay and anger. Lloyd swore he could see faint flickering of a flame of rage in the professor's eye.

Forcystus, saying the first word, spoke threateningly, "The next time you want to sleep in my class, I'm going to send you to Head Mistress Pronyma so she can show you the proper way to behave."

Lloyd, gulping, answered properly, "Y-yes, Professor Forcystus!" He immediately sat down afterwards re-burying his head into his book, hiding his beat-red face.

"Well, after that interruption, next up is Theorems. For--" Forcystus continued as he made his way back to his teacher's podium.

With that incident over, Lloyd learned something important: To never fell asleep again in Professor Forcystus class, especially when you insult him.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

By the end of the session, Lloyd felt exhausted. Without his mid-morning naps, he was sleepy and tired which was quiet evident when he let loose a loud yawn once Forcystus announced the dismal of class.

Before heading out the door to make his way to his next class, Lloyd scouted out the spiky hair of silver and made his way too it. As he approached his destination, he once again saw the same glasses wearing boy speaking to Genis. And in the midst of the conversation, Lloyd noticed a faint shimmer of hurt in Genis' eyes as the talk continued.

Lloyd, wanting to find out what the conversation was about, tried fast walking over there, but the hoards of students blocking the aisle was a nuisance. By the time Lloyd had made it, the unfamiliar boy left, leaving Genis standing by his lonesome. The young boy's sapphire eyes watching the guy as he departed.

"Are you making new friends with someone?" Lloyd asked with interest, glancing at the fleeting figure of the nameless student and then directing his attention back to Genis.

Genis took a pause, then answered. "… You could say that."

_~ S.S.D. ~_

That afternoon, Lloyd made his way to the Alchemy building along with Genis who helped drag him to the classroom. The pain from Monday's events still not quite gone yet. The two managed to make it to class on time, sitting next to Colette who eagerly awaited for their arrival after coming from her Biology class with Professor Kvar.

By the time the clock struck 2:30 p.m., a man with red hair tied up into a ponytail stood before the class. He wore a pointy hat and very thick robes over him which were all pretty scruffy and old. "Welcome, class, to Alchemy 1. I am Abyssion Arelius, and I will be your teacher for this class. I know you freshman have little to no experience with Alchemy of the sort, but I am aware that you all have the ability to tinker around with items, am I correct?"

The class nodded.

"Good because I just want to see what you all you can do," Abyssion said as he took out a cauldron and some ingredients. "Today since it's your first day, I want to have a little trivia to separate the talented from the clueless. I want you all to take your knowledge of gels and potions and give me both a gel ranging from apple to miracle and potion from panacea to an hourglass. Extra credit will be awarded to those who can get above the average level of gel and potion."

As directed, all his students began pouring in ingredients into the pots before them, hoping to get a decent item.

Lloyd though was among the clueless that Abyssion spoke of. He darted from Genis to Colette sitting beside him on his left and right. _"Just how do they know what they were doing?"_ he thought. He didn't recall tinkering around as kids with them involving any boiling pots. So it made him wonder when they picked up such a skill.

Peeking over by Genis' work area more closely, he saw Genis was orderly placing in ingredients at different intervals and stirred the pot around at a certain pace. He was overall organized down to the last pinch of an ingredient or a swirl of the spoon.

"Psst!" Lloyd called. "Just how they heck do you know what your doing?!"

Still fixated on his creation, Genis explained, "It's kind of like cooking. You place in the ingredients at the right time and stir accordingly."

"And how'd you figured out how to cook in the first place?" Lloyd asked. He was amazed at his friend's precision.

"Heh-heh. Actually, you'll have to learn how to cook if you want to live in the same house as Raine," Genis said, his body shivering. "You _never_ want to eat the same food she makes…" he added, mumbling under his breath.

"Wait, what?" said a confused Lloyd.

Genis sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Never mind, just go back to work. I could burn my work if you keep distracting me."

"My bad," Lloyd apologized and went back to his cauldron; still empty, still gel-less and potion-less. Saddened, Lloyd looked over to Colette for help.

She too was busy working, but her cooking style was a grave contrast to what Genis had been doing. Collete was tossing in several different ingredients at once, and her stirring differed from time to time. It was a carefree kind of style, and it showed on Colette's face. She was beaming one of her happy-go-lucky smiles and she bounced about on her heels as she always did whenever she was confident or happy.

Not wanting to distract her as well, Lloyd simply mimicked her actions of throwing in ingredients and stirring. He too was confident like Colette was.

An unknown voice soon broke Lloyd's synthesis process, "Um, excuse me. Excuse me."

Lloyd, tearing his attention away from his pot of boiling ingredients, glanced up at the person in front of him. There standing by the front of his table was an elf with short-blond hair and was about Genis' height and age.

The boy continued speaking, "You do know that at the rate you're randomly placing in those ingredients you might create a chemical reaction causing the contents to explode, right?"

"And who are you to be telling me this?" Lloyd, irritated, questioned.

"I'm Mithos Mortis. And you?"

"Lloyd Irving…" Lloyd was yearning to tell this Mithos boy off but he held himself back. "I'll keep in mind what you said, so thanks," his teeth gritting as he finished speaking. _"More like no thanks!"_

"Lloyd Irving… Oh, you're the soaking wet guy from Monday! It's nice to finally meet a friend of Genis'. And no problem, I just wanted to make sure you were doing the right thing. Hope to converse with you later after class," Mithos said, turning back to tend to his own pot.

"_Oh, just who the hell does this Mithos kid think he is calling me 'soaking wet guy' and telling me what to do and what the results of my actions are?! Psshh… You know what I say to that, Mithos? I say, 'Bleh!!_' _and go back to what I was doing before!"_ thought a completely furious Lloyd. His fists clenched by his sides and his eye twitched with rage.

_BOOOOM!!!_

A sound of an explosion expanded across the whole Alchemy room in a split second and soon smoke filled the area of the tainted pot. The owner, Colette, was stunned by the impact and fell over on her bottom. Her face was completely covered in soot.

Running over to Colette's side, Lloyd, temporarily forgetting his anger, sprang into action. "Colette! Colette! Are you okay?! What did you do?!"

After a couple coughs and a puff of smoke escaping her mouth, Colette softly spoke, "I'm okay… I just thought that copying how Dirk did the Dwarven Potluck Surprise would end up giving me something spectacular as well…"

"You dork! Apparently it didn't!" Lloyd said, concerned.

Abyssion coming to the scene, looked into the smoking pot and then bent down beside Colette and Lloyd. "It didn't go spectacularly at all. It seems as if she has created a mock Lottery gel, and it ended up bursting by, dare I say it, having too many random ingredients reacting with one another. Here, come on, Colette, let's get you cleaned up," Abyssion said, helping Colette up and motioning her to where the professor's desk was.

Rising and going back to his own work area, Lloyd said, "Man, how could she possibly think doing the same steps as the Dwarven Potluck Surprise would've helped her get either a good gel or potion? The only step was to randomly put things in and stir randomly as well!"

Genis agreeing, "Yeah, I know what you mean. At times like these, I sometimes kind of think you're not the only idiot in our group, Lloyd."

"Hey!" Lloyd retorted back, trying to defend both him and Colette. But before Lloyd could come up with a better comeback. A scene of Déjà Vu hit him… literally.

_BOOOOM!!!_

Lloyd could feel a burning sensation cover his entire face and smoke followed. He could tell soot was on his face as he soon began to fall to the floor.

"… _Damn it… I forgot I was copying Colette this whole time… "_

"Professor Abyssion! We got another Lottery gel explosion!~" Mithos yelled, looking over at Lloyd's work area.

"… _Damn, you, Mithos!!"_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Lying in bed is possibly the best thing Lloyd could do, and if there was a trophy or medal for it, surely he would win the gold. Even though by now the muscle burn from Monday's Artes class had faded away, in its place were the stinging on his cheeks from the explosion during Alchemy.

It hurt to talk and it was even more embarrassing to walk around campus with a charred face, so he simply stayed in his room, waiting for his dinner services to pop in.

Rubbing his cheeks, Lloyd moved his head to check his bedside clock. It read 8:39 p.m. _"Where were they? They should've finished eating by now and have brought me my food."_ His stomach growled, indicating its emptiness. _"Don't tell me they forgot about me?"_

Just as Lloyd had thought that, the door of Room 53 opened, and strolling in were two young teens, each holding a tray.

Repositioning himself upright, Lloyd rejoiced, "Finally, food! I thought you two would never come." His arms dangling before him trying to grab one of their trays. "I should fire and not pay you both for being so late! Better yet, this meal is free of charge since you _are_ late."

"Lloyd, one - we aren't a delivery business, and two - you never hired us. And one last reason, three - this was an act of friendship, so you should be grateful that we even went out of our way to do this for you! " Genis stated as he laid the tray of food that had a card as well on Lloyd's lap. "By the way, next to the food is your ID that we used to enter your room."

"I was going to say," Mithos started as he set the other tray on the table, "if we _were_ being paid, this meal would cost thousands of gald! It would be a great reward for warning you ahead of time about the effects of random alchemy and all the work to get this food."

"Yeah, yeah, Mithos. You can stop rubbing it in any time now!" whined Lloyd, rubbing his hands together in preparation of the meal.

The brunette instinctively grabbed the utensils, ready to burrow into the meal. But he stopped, eyeing the food's elegance. Mithos was right, this meal could be worth thousands! The aroma was pleasant and its presentation was inviting. Taking a fork in hand, Lloyd scooped up the rich sauce, egg, and meat, placing it in his mouth to savor.

"Whoa! This is amazing! I swear, the academy's food can't be this good! What is it, and who's the chef?"

"It's quiche," Genis said, sitting down in a rotating-rolling chair. "Mithos and I finished making it just minutes ago. So of course it's going to be better than this school's food." He beamed in his cuisine success.

"Since the food court closed at 7, we literally did slave over a hot stove to make that dish for you, so I hope you enjoy!" Mithos proudly said, leaning on Zelos' bed.

"Well, I am glad 'cause this is real good! To think you two are taste-bud blowing chefs…" Lloyd uttered, taking another scoop of quiche.

But before he could plop it in his mouth, the door came bursting open, Zelos' tired figure tumbled in, throwing complaints around as he entered.

"Stupid academic Chosen affairs! Why must we have to prepare for them so early on this year? They made me miss dinner today because of it…" Zelos moped, his head hung downward from hunger. Raising his head, he noticed the presence of the two unfamiliar freshman, "Just who are you and what are doing in the room of the Great Zelos Wilder?!" His finger pointed at Genis and Mithos threateningly as if to say a consequence was soon to be in order for trespassing.

Genis groaned, "Oh, it's Mr. Obnoxi-- I mean, Mr. Great Zelos Wilder!" The silverette's words depicted great sarcasm over admiration when he corrected himself.

"What were you about to call me, kid?!" demanded Zelos, his outstretched hand recoiled, curling in a fist before him. His rage died down though after spotting Lloyd in the midst of taking a bite of his meal. "Quiche?! I haven't had that in years! My butler Sebastian would always make that for us."

Zelos scurried over to Lloyd's bed, pushing aside Genis in the process and causing the poor silverette to squeak out a "Woaahhh!" as he sat defenseless in the rolling chair that rolled across the room. Genis' rolling chair ride abrubtly ended as soon as it crashed harshly into the open closet. In all the commotion, Zelos reached his dorm-mate's bed and snatched up the plate, immediately starting to dig in.

This lead to protests and cries from Lloyd, swaying his arms about to gain the elder's attention. "Hey, hey! That's my food! I'm the one originally starving here!"

He didn't listen to Lloyd, drowning the sound of his words with the loud bursts of flavor in his mouth. "My, my, my! This tastes so grand and fabulous! I must know who the chef is!"

Mithos rose his hand. And from the closet floor sat Genis, covered in clothing over his head. The rolling chair toppled over next to him. He too waved a hand.

"Well, then I accept your unannounced apology and allow you two to visit a little while longer." A few more giant scoops later, Zelos had downed the quiche and set back down the tray on Lloyd's lap. "That was marvelous!" Zelos announced. He started to smack his parched lips. "Now I'm thirsty… Oh, here we go!"

Zelos picked up from the other tray the cup of juice that lay on the table. He happily gulped that down also to Lloyd's disgust. "Ahhh… that was refreshing! What kind of herb was in that tea?"

"It's sage," Mithos answered. "It was freshly brewed too. My personal recipe."

"No wonder it tasted slightly different," Zelos said, making his way over to his bed to pick up a towel, pajamas, and shampoos. "Well, I'm going to head to the bathes to freshen up! Don't want to look like a monstrous beast tomorrow." He made his way to the door and opened it once more.

Lloyd, holding back the urge to pounce Zelos, shouted from his bed, "Zelos! What are you going to do about _my_ food that _you_ ate?!?!"

"Oh, you're right, Bud… I should be thanking the chefs once more and paying for their service!" He shuffled through his pocket, taking out a few pieces of gald and tossing it over to both Genis and Mithos. "Thank you for the scrumptious meal and farewell!" Zelos exclaimed before shutting the door.

"So we did get paid in the end…" Genis mentioned, excepting the gald as he placed it in his pocket. "But, hey, who am I to complain?"

"Haha. I'm not complaining one bit," Mithos said. He too stored it away.

Over on his bed, Lloyd felt ignored, "B-but… What about my food?" His eyes tearing up from sadness and starvation. Quickly he turned to Genis for answers, "Hey, Genis! You do have leftovers of that right?" A glint of hope sparkled in his hazel eyes.

Setting back the rolling chair upright by Lloyd's bed and sitting back down, Genis apologetically said, "… Sorry, Lloyd. That was all the food we made."

Hearing that, Lloyd did want to cry. He let out a small "Ugh" before slouching back under the covers.

"Don't be so down, Lloyd. You'll make me feel worse about myself," Genis said downcast.

Replying, Lloyd tried to cheer up his friend, "It's not your fault Genis, so don't worry about it."

Mithos, from the other side of the room, spoke out, "Next time, Lloyd, we'll make that dish again. This time with more meat and other delectables than you can down!"

"Heheh," Lloyd laughed at the challenge. "We'll see about that."

"Oh, I almost forgot." Genis rustled in his shorts' pocket, taking out an item. He rose from the chair and handed it to Lloyd. "It's a get well gift from Colette. She couldn't visit you so she told me to deliver it."

Lloyd, looking up at him, received the gift. "Thanks, Genis."

His hazel eyes looked over the gift in his hand. It was an old and frail piece of small, rectangular wood with writing inscribed on it. The letters were somewhat sloppy and worn, but Lloyd could decipher it easily.

_To: Colette_

_Get better soon! _

_Dwarven Vow - Good health leads to a prosperous life! _

_From: Lloyd_

He had written that over ten years ago, and it had became a charm for Colette whenever she had became ill. Lloyd turned over the wood plank in his hand. On the back was a fairly new indentation with neat, feminine handwriting.

_To: Lloyd_

_Best of health to you as well!_

_May Martel and her blessings always be with you!_

_From: Colette_

Lloyd chuckled to himself, a soft, warm smile on his face. _"Colette, you too must be hurting, yet you sent this back to me. You really do care for others before your own self… Thank you, Colette."_

* * *

**Author's Note Time!**

I live again! xD After much antics from Lloyd poking me to wake-up, I've finally recovered from passing out to say...

End Chapter 3! Phew, this one took me weeks to get the motivation to finish. Too many revisions I say! D: In the end though, they were worth it cause I'm fairly pleased how far I got for this chapter. Now I simply must incorporate the classes during Wednesday through Friday and possibly a bit of Saturday fun in the next part. Hopefully it won't be too long, but I seriously doubt that…

And I know, I know! You all want to attack me for torturing Lloyd so much, but I can't help it! That's just how my creative juices flow… that and I have no other idea to make the chapter more 'entertaining'. But don't worry, I'm not going to pick on Lloyd too much in the next part. I'll be shifting the story central figure from Lloyd to Genis during the next part anyhow just to show there is more variety, difference in character situations, and such as well as to ease you all in to getting use to Lloyd and Genis being the central figures.

By the way, I hope you all enjoyed those mini skits between the characters and found them not boring and pointless. :] (If you did, I apologize! Dx)

And one question to any of you out there, does Botta have a last name? I've looked but I don't think it has been mentioned... or has it? Well, tell me in a review, and speaking of reviews...

Please remember to leave a review! Reading is greatly appreciated, but feedback is loved and leads to new chapters! It shows me that you all really do want the next chapter and the story to continue as well as give me info on whether I'm doing fine in my writing or if I need to improve. Now that I'm finally finished…

_I call upon thee in the land of the fanfics to unleash thy fury of teaser…_

_PREVIEW!!_

**Preview:**

Next time on Symphonian School Days…

After all the beatings of the first two days of classes, can Lloyd last out the last three days? The danger prone brunette hopes so! Meanwhile, Genis has run into troubles of his own. The competition for first in class has begun! Can Genis keep his own or will the pressure be too intense for him?

Find out next chapter, '_New Faces, First Impressions - Part 2'_!

'Til next time! ;3


	4. New Faces, First Impressions Part 2

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, everyone!~ ;3 And sorry for the late return, but you know how the end of the year is - busy to the brim! There's just too many distractions like school projects over the break, studying for exams, various birthdays, Christmas, taking care of my baby sister everyday (she's 4 months old so she is an immediate priority), and New Years. Heck in the midst of it all I had forgotten one last important thing to do: Celebrate my own birthday! Haha. xD Yup, the other day on December 28th, I finally turned 16. Man, time really does fly... Sadly, I didn't get any special treatments/presents of any sort during my sweet 16, but that's okay. :D Besides, I'd enjoy knowing that I'm uploading one last Chapter before 2009 hits 2010.

So here's Chapter 4 for you all in commemoration to all my awesome regulars that have stuck with this story, reading and reviewing from the very first chapter. Thank you all for your input and motivation to continue this story! And hopefully in 2010, I'll be back and writing quicker than my pace of now. ;D

**Disclaimer Time: **Symphonia is not mine, nor will it ever be no matter how much I dream…

Richter: *Pops-up out of nowhere.* Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality!

Cwister: … Some things, Richter, no amount of courage will make it a reality… I've tried. xD

* * *

**_Ch. 4: New Faces, First Impressions ~ Through Sapphire Eyes ~_**

* * *

**[Wednesday] **

Cafeterias, food courts, restaurants - people all come for the food at these places. What really makes them stay though is not what they came for, but for the groups of people endlessly chatting about. The food was just an excuse for gossipers and socialists alike to congregate together. Information is what the people _truly_ want.

Everyday on the Symphonia Academy campus food court it was like this; silence was never to be found.

Genis, on the other hand, sat alone, not favoring talking with random strangers. He kept to himself as he ate, using the food court as it was originally intended - to feast at.

"-- and the whole field was on fire! I swear, I was a foot away when the guy sent flames my way! I could've been severely burned, or even worse, been killed! But I dodged out of the way just in the nick of time, and all the girls thought I was awesome like some kind of action hero, wooing and all! I would've also restrained the pyro-guy, but the professors came before I could knock some sense into him."

"Oh, man! Still it's hard to believe that some insane, berserk pyromaniac would try to attack you like that. I can just imagine you fighting back and pummeling him in the dirt for it! Do you know who it was?"

"Naw. I didn't catch the name--"

"Ah-choo!!" sneezed the silverette. Wiping his nose with a clean tissue, Genis cleared his nasal passage way. "Geez… I better not be getting sick so soon in the first semester." He placed the used tissue aside, and picked up his spoon, chowing down on his freshly cooked Miso Soup that he had made a few hours prior.

"*****Benedicite!"

Rising from his soup, "Oh. *****Salve, Colette. *****Gratias!" Genis thanked her and returned to his meal.

"*****Nihil laboris est," Colette replied with her known smile, sitting down in an empty seat and placing her food on the table. Lloyd, who followed at her heels, did the same.

"Genis, I didn't know you spoke Ancient Angelic," Lloyd said, biting into his sandwich. With his mouth stuffed, he muffled out, "I thought you knew Elven."

After taking a few more spoonfuls, Genis explained, swinging around his spoon, "Yeah, I do know Elven, but Ancient Angelic and Elven go hand in hand. Since Ancient Angelic was the first ever verbal language of Aselia, it had become the basis of other languages that came after it. The language of the elves just so happens to be one of those branches. So it's not that uncommon for me to know a slight bit of Angelic."

Lloyd swallowed, clearing his mouth. "I'm about to say, you either read some book to learn another language over spring break or something 'cause it's such a strange and complicated language to just know right off the bat." The brunette rubbed the back of his head, remembering the class. "The lesson we learned today was supposed to be easy, but I ended up barely understanding a thing."

Colette, putting a comforting hand onto Lloyd's shoulder, said, "It's fine, Lloyd. The first few days are always difficult, especially when it's your first time learning about--" A loud student at a table across from theirs interrupted Colette. Their voice booming for all to hear.

"The pyromaniac during Artes class people keep talking about… I hear he could be a _half-elf_!! Just think, what if that student originally came to our academy to complete a suicidal mission of burning down both the school and the city?!"

"Don't say that! It's scary enough to think half-elves are living in the same world as us… I'm glad that this city doesn't allow their kind in; those sadistic _monsters_ don't deserve to live in such grace!"

The pointy, sensitive ears underneath Genis' spiky, silver hair easily picked up the gossipers' words. In response, he immediately started choking and spewing the soup that he was in the midst of drinking all over his tray and the table. His spoon that he held fell from his grasp and clattered on his tray. His hands tapped on his chest, trying to get his air pipes flowing with oxygen.

His friends before him wore concerned faces. Both of them wanting to speak out but were interrupted by a hoarse Genis, "I-I'm fine… Soup went down… wrong pipe…"

Silence fell upon the trio, all three of them fixated on their food as the students around them continued to gossip.

"--- and this is why half-elves shouldn't be able to use or learn magic! They can't control mana well enough which make us pureblood elves seem like shit!! I swear if that guy really is a half-elf, he will not only get a beating but a death sentence as well."

Breaking the silence, Colette asked, "Pyromaniac? Wasn't that during your Artes class, Genis?" Her body leaning forward in her seat with curiosity.

Quietly, Genis nodded in response. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

"Oh, yeah! I forgot you had Artes class today," Lloyd admitted and then continued. "You mind filling us in what all this talk is about anyhow?"

"W-well, uhhh…" Genis hesitantly spoke. He bit his lip and adverted his gaze from their info seeking eyes to his reflection in his now untouched soup. "I-I d-didn't see a-anything… so I c-can't say…" The silver-haired boy then began to sink his head downward and slump further into his seat as if trying to hide.

"Really?" Lloyd questioned, eyebrow raised in disbelief. "For a rumor of a fire starting person of sorts, you'd think it wouldn't be too hard to miss."

"Y-yeah… I-I had to run t-to the restroom, and I-I m-missed it."

Colette looking him over, "Uh… Genis? Are you okay? You seem nervous."

"N-no, no! I-I'm fine, r-really!" Genis assured them by forcing a dim smile despite his stuttering.

Lloyd, not being so easily tricked, poked at his friend for the truth, "C'mon, Genis! We know something's bugging you. You sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"T-there is nothing to talk about." Taking his tray, Genis rose from his seat. It was obvious that he had enough with the game of never-ending questions. "Anyways, I-I have to go. I'll talk to you both later." He turned and made his way to the trash can to throw away his stuff, weaving though all the tables filled with students.

Behind him he could hear his friends' words fading in the distance, "Alrighty, if you say so!" "Bye, Genis!"

With his heart slowing, Genis reached the trash can, throwing away his trash and then abruptly exiting the food court soon after, _"Next time, I have to be more careful and watch my actions and my words…"_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

The elevator hummed its same tune, rising a few floors. Genis, its lone passenger, found the sound comforting. It was much better to hear that than some rambunctious teenagers rabidly chatting about events, especially when those events could relate to you.

_Ding! _the elevator chimed and its doors opened instantly following. Stepping out, Genis strolled down the empty halls glad that the other students were occupying the food court instead. Not only did it eased his mind, but it eased him physically as well. He had been tired of tilting his head to the ground and hiding in hopes of people not recognizing him.

When he finally reached his destination at Room 72, he slid his card through the slot and made his way into his dorm. Genis was about to tumble down face first into his blanket covers, but he noticed another presence in the room.

"Mithos?" Genis called, looking to the blond who sat on the edge of the bed. His head buried into his hands.

The blond, raising his head and lowering his hands, answered, "Hello, Genis. You're back from the food court so soon."

"I decided that I'm not all that hungry after all… " Genis said while making his way to his own bed and sitting down. "I guess you weren't either?"

"Not really. I actually don't like going to eat out, so I stay inside this dorm. Conversing with strangers and listening to their talk isn't something I'd like to participate in."

"Heh-heh," Genis forced a laugh, his gaze falling to the floor. "I know what you mean one-hundred percent. Everyone was talking about what happened during our Artes class at the food court… It really annoys me how nosy people are."

"Ah, I see. But I don't understand something… Do you mind if I ask?"

"Huh?" Genis met Mithos' line of sight. "Uh, sure. Go ahead and shoot."

"… Why? Why did you cast those flames onto the field?"

Genis' sapphire eyes were pinned downward to the floor again. Despite scurrying off from Lloyd and Colette to the confines of his room, it seemed the question game would continue on whether Genis liked it or not. Drowning his wishes of staying silent on the matter, he took a deep breath before explaining, "To be perfectly honest, I didn't mean to cast Fire Ball in the first place… It's just that I got angered which most likely caused me to perform a spell subconsciously… Before I knew it, a spell circle surrounded me, and I couldn't cancel the spell. Then, bam! The field was lit on fire and people started screaming and running in chaos. And I stayed standing where I was, hapless." He finished by running a hand through his silver locks.

"And what caused you to be so full of rage to cause you to go and cast a wild spell?" Mithos tossed another question.

"Mr. High and Mighty," Genis mumbled out coldly. "Ever since yesterday when I met him, he has not only questioned my abilities and my skills, but he has criticized me by saying things such as elves are failures and how lowly I am compared to him mentally and physically. He also keeps bellowing how I'll never be first in class." Genis rose his hands in front of him, closing them tightly as if trying to crush something. "… I will definitely _not_ lose to someone like _him_!"

"With a goal like that in mine, I wouldn't go too overboard. You wouldn't want to get expelled for another accidental stunt like the one today." Mithos got up, rising from his bed, and walked over to the window that overlooked the campus. "You know how cautious people are when news gets around that a potential half-elf is lurking around their safe haven. It's even more preposterous that they'd even try to falsely accuse someone as a half-elf just so they can feel protected." He took a brief pause, still starting out the window. "I mean, all these people in Symphonia, they believe in harmony and unity, but how can that be even possible when they don't even allow half-elves to live among them?… Humans are so hypocritical! They are the ones who are _truly_ monsters!!"

Shocked hearing Mithos' words, Genis turned to his right, seeing the blond youth stare outside. His earth-green eyes were filled with fury and sadness. His teeth were slightly gritting and forming a frown. Genis took a chance, daring himself to ask the question, "Mithos are you… a half-elf?"

Slightly jumping and facing away from the window to face the silverette, "H-half-elf? I-I'm not a h-half-elf; I'm a pure-blooded elf!" Mithos denied such accusations.

"It's fine," Genis said, standing up from his bed and turning to his dorm-mate with a hand resting on his chest, "because I'm a half-elf myself."

Confused and non-believing, Mithos shouted back at him, "Y-you're lying! Why would you admit that you are a half-elf? It's to lure me into admitting and leading you to tell the administration so they can take me to the emperor and sentence me to death!!"

"But I'm telling the truth!" Undaunted, Genis continued, "See, I still have my charm from when I was a resident of Exire." After searching through his pockets, he had found a small chain with a single charm and he held it out for Mithos to see.

Mithos stumbled backwards, stunned. "T-the mark of Exire?! Impossible…" He too took out a similar charm and held it out before him.

"I've always held onto this to always remind me who I truly am even though I must hide such a fact," Genis admitted, eyeing the charm. His own cobalt eyes shining of sympathy and understanding. "So you don't have to hide it from me Mithos, I am a fellow half-elf and I will _never _tell this secret to anyone. I promise."

"… You truly promise?" said a hesitant Mithos.

Extending out a hand, Genis reassured him, "I swear on it."

"Then I promise as well," Mithos said, taking Genis' hand. Their charms jingled as they collided in the handshake.

"Heheh," Genis chuckled, a smile growing on his face, "I, Genis Sage, freshman and half-elf, am glad to finally meet you."

Mithos reciprocated, "I, Mithos Mortis, freshman and half-elf, am also glad to have finally met you." Letting go, they ended the meeting. "You really are an analytic person; you know that, Genis?"

"I hear it from time to time," Genis replied, still grinning.

"I believe this is the start of a beautiful friendship," Mithos stated. He began to smile as well.

"Haha! I definitely agree with you there!"

"_And just like that, the loneliness I had felt before today was now gone, absent from my life. It's as if my world expanded in meeting Mithos. He not only had become a close friend through this connection, but he had taken away the loneliness that haunted me." _Genis sighed a deeply in relief. _"…Finally, the scars… They have begun to completely heal."_

"Oh, hey, Mithos," Genis added quickly, "now that we're on an understanding and are clear with one another... You mind if I asked you a question?"

"Not at all," Mithos said with a slight shrug and then repeated Genis' word from before. "Shoot."

"Um, well…" Genis started awkwardly, unknowing of how to phrase his question. "You know that first day we got to Symphonia; how I arrived to the dorm after you."

"Yeah, did something happen?"

"Eh, well, you see, when I tried held onto the knob of our dorm room a fury of mana attacked me. The pressure was so vast and great that I jumped backwards and my hand trembled for quite some time after… Was it you who was the cause of the mana surge? Of course, I'm not trying to be racist or anything considering half-elves can't fluctuate mana too evenly or act as if I'm better in any way," Genis explained a bit too quickly. His words being somewhat slurred together in his speech.

Expecting a yes, Genis braced himself for the possible reasons why to accumulate so much mana. Although as Mithos answered, the young silverette's expression grew from anticipation to bewilderment. "Mana surge? I didn't feel no mana surge, nor was I the cause of it," Mithos honestly replied, his head shaking. "If it was enough to make you jump back in total alarm, I'm pretty confident that I would've felt it… It might've just been a dream, Genis."

"A dream, huh?" Genis muttered to himself, thinking long and hard of that first day.

"_It couldn't have been a dream; it was all too real… Mithos wouldn't be lying to me, especially not after a few minutes ago and his tone of voice and answer was genuine… If it wasn't him, who could it have been?"_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Thursday]**

The following day, Genis pushed the thought of yesterday's events to the back of his mind. It would be in his way for the new day anyhow, so why bother? Waking up, Genis got ready as usual; going through his set regime of tending to his bed, heading to the showers and dressing up, and then heading off to the food court for some breakfast before his morning class begun.

With a piece of toast hanging from his mouth, Genis trotted down the large halls to his class, his satchel in hand. He was set on following his words; he would not lose to Mighty. He planned to do anything he could to outshine the glasses wearing blond even if it meant sacrificing a bit of his morning meal to arrive early, but that wasn't going to be much of a hassel.

As he bit into the final piece of bread, Genis entered his place of destination, the Engineering room. The silverette, upon entering, noticed how expansive the room was. Large metal tables stretched in rows from all the way to the walls to the center aisle which allowed traffic to flow up and down the room. Other than that, it was a packed class filled with machinery lined up in the back and out-dated computers that were set on a separate long desk in the back corner. In the front was another long metal table, presumably known as the teacher desk. It was quite cluttered and uncared for with various parts scattered about and blueprints to different machines lying about.

The owner of such a mess sat at the teacher's desk. The short man bore a dome-like robe and wore small amber spectacles that rest on his nose. His hair, like his desk, was quite uncared for as well, obvious from the fact he simply styled it by having the purple-locks spike down his back.

Seeing a new presence, the man looked up from his spectacles and his work, eyeing Genis.

"Morning, Professor," Genis greeted with a half-smile and a shy wave, trying to appear friendly.

The professor merely let out a "Nggh" in response, his gaze returning back to his work of reading and more scribbling of calculations along pages upon pages of notes.

"_Someone must've slept poorly last night," _Genis thought. The boy walked passed the professor and looked down the rose of seats before selecting an aisle chair in the third row. When he got there he set down his satchel and took out a notebook and a pencil, placing both on his desk in an orderly manner.

"_Alrighty, I'm ready and set," _Genis glanced at the clock, smiling in his mini triumph. _"8:40 a.m., I'm ten minutes ahead of my early schedule."_ Thinking it would be okay, he was about to start reading through his Engineering book; however, the next person to walk in prevented him to.

"Good morning, Professor Rodyle," Mighty said as he went by Rodyle's desk, trudging by without even a smile or a wave.

Genis gave a small "Pfft" thinking that the professor would still bare his cold and careless demeanor, telling Mighty off in a similar fashion as he. But the outcome of this particular morning greeting would be far from what Genis had thought.

"Ah, a good morning to you too, Mighty," Professor Rodyle replied with a small smile, taking a break from his busy work to rise and face the passing student and acknowledge him. His tone more lighthearted and much more respectful.

"_What the… ?" _poor Genis thought. He drooped and buried his face in his arm barricade. _"Not even in this class am I favored?!"_

"Well, if it isn't, 'Genius'," teased a very familiar voice.

Slowly rising from his arms, Genis peeked out and saw the blond, eye-glass wearing boy sitting right across the aisle from him. He groaned in his thoughts, _"Is it necessary to be annoying this early in the morning?"_

"If I were you, I'd just stop trying to fool the world around you."

Hearing those words, the silver-haired's ears perked up, "W-what do you mean?!" _"This guy may be the brightest apple out of the entire bunch, but there is no way he could've meant my secret… right?"_

"You may have the name Genius Sage, but a name doesn't mean anything; words and actions, on the other hand, do."

Inside, Genis sighed with relief. "Don't worry, you'll see why they chose to call me Genius in the first place."

Mighty scoffed, turning to face the front of the class, "Can't wait to see that."

In a few moments time, students rolled into the Engineering class, claiming seats and chatting with one another before the bell. Colette and Lloyd were one of those among them.

"Morning!" Lloyd and Colette cheerfully said in unison, both running and jumping in the empty seats behind Genis.

"You two seem full of happiness today," Genis noted, turning around in his chair to face them.

"Yeah, guess what?" Lloyd asked, ecstatic. He never let his friend answer though because he soon added, "Yesterday, Colette tutored me a bit on Ancient Angelic, and I finally understand some of it!" The brunette flashed a wide stretched grin.

Surprised, "Really? That's good then! I'm a bit shocked though. How can you, Colette, teach this thick-headed guy anything, especially another language?" Genis asked, appalled.

"Actually, it was quite easy!" Colette admitted, smiling. "You just have to put it in terms for Lloyd to be interested and wanting understand."

"Hmmm, well then, Lloyd. How about saying something in Angelic for us then? Show us what you've learned!" Genis commanded jokingly.

Lloyd took a while to think it over before blurting out, excited. "Ooh~ I've got a good sentence. You ready?" The duo nodded in response. Seeing this, Lloyd took one last pause. "Ehem, ehem," he cleared his voice and… "*****Ubi Sub Ubi!" he exclaimed, grinning goofily.

Both Colette and Genis, sunk their heads down to the floor. They were letdown by such an answer.

"Where under where, huh?" Genis said. "I can see what you meant by keeping him interested, Colette."

Colette chuckled. "Well, for Lloyd, the small things in life are pretty amusing."

_Brringgg!_ rang the bells in the Engineering room; the sound echoed off the walls. All the students, including our teen trio's chatter, stopped. Their eyes and ears focused on the man sitting at the front. The purple-haired man rose and then slowly stepped around his desk and went before the class.

"As you may know by now, you are in Mana Engineering 1 with me, Professor Rodyle. In this classroom, you all need to follow only one simple task: I expect each and every one of you in here to be productive from the moment you enter all the way to the bell or when I dismiss you; therefore slackers will be punished! And with that in mind," the stout professor turned around and grabbed a remote from his desk, clicking a button that was on it, "for the first few days we will cover the principles of Mana Engineering through holograms such as these."

Like Professor Rodyle said, a three-dimensional, holographic figure of a hover vehicle was displayed before the class, amusing those who were not used to such advanced technology.

"What I'm starting off with is a simple rhieard - a device that levitates the user and transports them to their desired location by using mana as the source of energy. It is--" Rodyle stopped his lecturing and scanned his students. "Why aren't all of you writing this down?! Didn't I just say slackers will be punished?! My Martel, I swear you poor beings should follow the example your fellow peer Mighty is doing by being prepared and doing notes without my consent. It's hard to believe the officials actually chose the rest of you to be attending Symphonia Academy if you can't do something as easy as such!"

"_Again with the favorites?" _Genis thought, shaking his head.

Startled, the entire class took out a writing utensil and paper to write on and began jutting down notes. They all didn't want to disobey the rulings of Rodyle.

Continuing on, Rodyle spoke, turning back to the rhieard model. "Now that's music to my ears! Where was I…? Oh, I remember. Rhieards are the perfect, simple example of our Mana Engineering principles. First--"

Down in the third row, Genis shrugged off his previous fretting and hurriedly continued writing notes. At the same time he took glances to Mighty across the aisle. Both teens competitively glared at one another as they took notes. And even though they weren't speaking, those glares of determination were clear enough to send a message.

"… _I…" _Genis' thought message was sent on with his glare. He grasped his pencil firmly, scratching the graphite tip murderously on his paper. It was surprising that it never tore through his paper completely.

Mighty was a splitting image of Genis, action-wise at least. His hand vigorously moved across the page as he sent a death-glare to the silverette. Mighty's message was immediately sent along with it, _"… will…"_

Genis returned the glare again, _"… be…"_

"_VALEVICTORIAN!!"_ both teens simultaneously claimed in their minds, eyes gleaming with fury and fire during their final glare. At the end, they swiftly returned back to their writing and focused on their work; the death-glare duel declared as a tie.

A row behind them, Lloyd and Colette watched the entertaining spectacle all the while. The two were quite in awe how one could take things so seriously…

Lloyd, seeing his childhood pal like this, had to give a sigh. The brunette shook his head in thought, _"Nerds."_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Friday]**

The next day, Genis felt even more confident. Since History 1 was with a familiar professor, Raine. He knew what to expect and he answered questions flawlessly and in full-blown detail. Even though he could feel the heat from Mighty's glares and own responses, he out-did him with ease. Today he wasn't going to be beaten and by the end of class, Genis had done so.

"With our lesson done early for today thanks to Genis' countless amounts of input," the silver-haired teacher said, eyeing her younger brother for a split moment and then returning to the chalkboard. She scribbled something with the chalk in her hand on the board. "I'd like you all to do this report on the history of your family since this is History 1. This will be due at the start of class when you come in next week. Any questions before you all leave?"

In a quick second after she had asked, a hand shot up.

"Yes, Lloyd?" Raine acknowledged, spotting the student with ease.

"Professor Raine, would you say my dog, Noishe, is my guardian or brother?" Lloyd asked, seriousness and curiosity was apparent in his voice.

Although, his peers thought otherwise. Everyone busted out laughing at his question, some even saying, "He's the biggest fool I've seen!" and "That's our class clown right there!" and "Can that guy get any dumber?".

Raine, sadly, could not answer the question with her students continual outbursts of laughter even though she knew of Lloyd's true intentions. Instead, she sighed and waved a hand toward the door, "Class is dismissed for today. You all may leave."

Once a good majority of the students had gone, Lloyd approached Raine and alongside him was Colette. His expression seemed slightly hurt from his classmates' words and laughter, and his voice was not as enthusiastic as it usually was. "Was it wrong for me to have asked, Professor?"

"Oh, not at all, Lloyd! Asking questions is actually something I want from my students, especially you, Lloyd. It's much better than you sleeping in my class anyhow," Raine assured him with small laughter.

Colette chirped in, mild anger could be heard in her words, "Then why did those students laugh at him? There's nothing wrong in being raised differently, and for them to be so cruel is inhumane!"

Hearing this, Raine sighed, folding and crossing her arms. "Well, you are correct, Colette, but that's the thing. To these high-classed nobles, they think having a creature such as a dog to be considered more than just a companion or a pet is abnormal."

"So does that mean I can't put Noishe in my report?" Lloyd asked, saddened.

"You can if you'd like, but it would be best if you classified Noishe as a brotherly figure over a guardian. If he was your guardian then Noise would technically be a step-father to you, making it seem somewhat strange to your peers."

"Ah, I see thanks, Professor!" said Lloyd, regaining his old, cheerful persona.

Over on the other side of the room, Genis smiled. He had been overhearing and watching the conversation the entire time. _"Only Lloyd would want to consider a dog as their guardian."_ He chuckled lightly to himself at his friend's innocence_. _Once he finished packing, he made his way over to Colette and Lloyd, but in the process he ran into an unwanted face.

"Why, afternoon, Genis," spoke Mighty. His voice was like toxins to Genis; it burned his ears to listen to him almost everyday. "I can see how much of a fool your friend Lloyd is. It's a shame that he has the IQ of a rock because you know how stupidity is. It may not be a disease but it can rub off and screw with others. And that's what's going to happen to you." Mighty's pale finger became outstretched, poking Genis in his chest with malice. "You'll lose your smart streak." Poke. "Drop to 2nd - the place no one cares about." Poke. "And continue to live life as a _loser_." Poke. His mouth curled into a devious smile at his final words, tugging at Genis' level-headedness.

Keeping his cool, Genis brushed off the annoying nuisance which was Mighty's hand with his free, non-holding satchel hand. He calmly replied, "I wouldn't talk so highly, Mighty… The race has just started. The talk you speak now could turn on you during the final stretch. You wouldn't want to appear to be the _greatest_ fool in front of everyone now would you?"

"We'll see who has the rights to talk, Sage," he retorted back at Genis before turning around and walking off. His posse following behind him as he left.

"_I'm not going to get beaten down by his words," _he thought alone. Genis, shaking-off another encounter with his rival, made his way over to his friends and announced to them when he arrived, "Well, I'm ready to go!"

Lloyd, seeing him, said, "Took you long enough. By the way, you should stop getting into nerd fights with that guy. It's pathetic," and jokingly, punched him playfully on the shoulder.

He knew Lloyd's words weren't supposed to sound hurtful and instead be kind and caring as if trying to cheer him up. Genis laughed softly to himself, knowing Lloyd's way of comfort so well. The silverette just couldn't resist a good tease in the end, so he responded, "What, nerd fights and pathetic? Well, that's cruel. I think I might just take what I said back." Genis paused before speaking again. "Lloyd, you are the _greatest_ fool!"

"Eh?! Me - the greatest fool? Nonsense! I'm so not fitted for that title," Lloyd decreed and then shot his hand up. "Better yet! How about 'Arrgh, Me Hearties'?!" His hand curled into a hook like shape and he scruntched up his face, shutting an eye for emphasis.

"What?!" the younger teens said in unison.

"Y'know, I could wear an eye-patch like Forcystus does, have an annoying parrot, have a peg leg, and carry my twin blades around all the time like a pirate!" Lloyd goofily grinned.

"That's pretty farfetched don't you think?" Genis asked, his question being more of a statement.

"Ooh~ There are better titles for Lloyd like… 'Gentle Idealist' for instance!" Colette proclaimed.

The two boys looked at each other before responding, "Nah." And the trio began strolling out of Professor Raine's History 1 class and into the hallway.

"For once, I'll have to side with Lloyd. I see him as more pirate material than an idealist in my book," Genis commented.

"Really?" Colette responded in wonder, "But if Lloyd is deemed a pirate, wouldn't that mean Fujibyashi-senpai would try to kill him since she's a ninja?"

"Wait, Sheena's a ninja?" Lloyd asked, puzzled. "No way!" The brunette jumped up in the thought of finally meeting a real life ninja.

"Who would've thought that someone at the academy was a part of a ninja clan; that's pretty interesting!" Genis said in astonishment. He too perked up at the thought.

"Oh, she never told you two?" Colette replied, eyes blinking.

The two shook their heads sideways in response.

"Ah, whoops!" said Colette, her face soon blushing red in embarrassment and realization. Her hands covered her face as if to prevent more secrets from escaping her lips. "Well, that would makes sense as to why people don't tell their professions to others. It could jeopardize them and their work. Heheh… Something I should've thought of sooner." She sighed, frowning. "Another thing to apologize for."

"Good going, Colette!" Lloyd teased, jokingly. "Now Sheena's going to beat me twice as bad for knowing her secret and because of my pirate-like skills!"

Genis laughed, "Then you two better not tell Sheena that!"

The teen trio all smiled and laughed. Their voices filled the hall. Happiness was all that could be seen.

"_No, I won't be beaten down," _Genis thought in laughter. _"And even if I do, I know my friends will always be there for me to make my days brighter."_

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note Time!**

And there you have it, Chapter 4 is OVAH! You all can totally shoot me for the terrible last two days: Thursday and Friday. They were rushed thus explaining their short length. Plus I had no idea how I was going to implement seriousness in them like I had originally planned like on the **[Wednesday] **portion. So they turned out to be more humorous such as Latin related jokes - *****Ubi Sub Ubi, death-glare showdown, and the titles convo between the trio. Hopefully someone out there did find it funny… If it wasn't, you can shoot me for that too.

The following words are rough translations:

***** 'Benedicite' means bless you.

*** **'Salve' means hello.

***** 'Gratias' means thanks.

*****'Nihil laboris est' means it's not a problem.

*** **To elaborate on Ubi Sub Ubi: 'Ubi' means 'Where' while 'Sub' means 'Under' in Latin. Even though it reads Where Under Where, when someone says it aloud it sounds like "Wear Underwear". This, therefore, explains why Lloyd found it so amusing to want to learn.

My motivation on '_New Faces, First Impressions ~ Through Sapphire Eyes ~_' in total was quite terrible, and I'd like to apologize. Because of it my writing has went down the drain. In all honesty, I found the writing kind of poor in this part, especially since the transitioning from day to day wasn't as good as Part 1. D:

Well, enough of me moping, it's time for the preview!

**Preview:**

Next time on Symphonian School Days…

It's been two weeks of nothing but classes for Lloyd and the gang ever since they got to Symphonia, and another Saturday is only a few hours away. However, before anyone can relax, things become bleak for our silverette, Genis. Just what could be stressing Genis out so much? Will Lloyd's efforts be able to help?

And will I, the writer, redeem myself from such previous failure?!

Find out in the next chapter, _'To Lose Is To Lose Again?'_!

REDEMPTION!! xD

* * *

**Random Extra?!?!**

Zelos: Whoa, whoa! Hold on a sec! What about us, hmm?!

Sheena: Yeah, we had no air-time at all in this chapter what-so-ever! What's up with that?

Cwister: Oh, crap… I was hoping no one would notice. Eheheh… About that, I don't know if I can keep you guys to be constant/frequent on-screen characters, at least for the first couple chapters. But don't worry, by Chapter 5 both of you will be regulars! *Fires cannon of confetti in the air.* xD

Sheena: Well, that's a relief. Here I was thinking I was only meant for my one time scene back in Chapter 3.

Zelos: Miss Beautiful Violent Banshee over there may be satisfied with this, but I am not! I'm the Great Zelos Wilder, aren't I? I should have the lead role and be on every chapter!

Cwister: But the roles are already set… If I changed you to be the lead, who would be the lovable, sexy senpai you'd go to?! T__T

Zelos: *Gasps.* There is no one!! I'm the _only _lovable, sexy senpai figure! Now, I finally understand my importance of being the second banana. Cwister, I'm happy to say you have made a wise and perfect choice in letting me star in the secondary cast!

Sheena: *Sighs.* Zelos, you must be the most gullible person around here...

A few meters away from them...

Lloyd: They say if you don't continue those chain letters that you _will _be afflicted with their torture! You know, Kratos? He was almost drowned to death by tomatoes!!

Colette: *Gasps.* That explains so much! It makes sense now why he hates tomatoes. Poor Kratos.

Sheena: … Never mind, I stand corrected.

Cwister: Haha. Well, here goes one extra day to those of you that miss having Zelos and Sheena being around. Mind you this is strictly made in terms of humor, so if your expecting something more serious or dramatic, that won't come till a good 1/5th of the story in. Plus this is my little holiday gift extra to you all! Hope it's decent even though it was rushed. :3

Zelos & Sheena: Enjoy!

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**_Symphonia Extra: Another Day_**

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_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Hearing the ever familiar sound of his alarm clock, Lloyd rose from under his bed sheets, yawning loudly to a new day. He swung his hand over to turn off the beeping and adjusted himself to sit on the edge of his bed. The hazel eyes of his were still quite weary and blurry; sleep still rest within him. He rubbed his face and stretched, shaking away the temptation of falling back asleep. With his vision clearer, Lloyd scanned the area before him. The brunette braced himself for the daily routine of a dose of "Good morning, Bud!" and the cheerful face of Zelos; however, this morning was different. Zelos was no where to be seen in Room 53.

_"... Odd,"_ Lloyd thought, scratching his bed-head hair. _"No morning greeting from the Great Zelos Wilder."_

Even so, Lloyd didn't mind. On the contrary, he actually enjoyed the fact he wouldn't have to deal with his senpai this morning. He finally had a moments reprieve from Zelos' antics, which, for some unknown reason, always lead himself to receive the short end of the stick. Whenever Zelos Wilder was around, some sort of unlucky thing would happen to Lloyd. For instance, the first couple days of classes; an aqua awakening one morning and stomach starvation from food theft the next.

As he pondered the thought of Zelos and the dreadful bad luck he brought, Lloyd stood up from his bed and made his way to the closet. He picked out the usual things as he always had done: clothes, a towel, soap, and shampoo. With his stuff gathered, the brunette stumbled out his dorm room to ready himself for another day.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

The once bed-written brunette boy popped out of the men's shower room, freshly cleansed and clothed with his white and red embroidered academy uniform. Lloyd rustled his hair as he walked out into Dormitory 2-D's central lobby on the first floor, spraying around droplets of water that still lay inside his brown bush of hair.

"Hey, hey, watch it! I may be thirsty, but I'm not that desperate to settle for shower water."

"Huh?" muttered Lloyd. He looked about before spotting the source to the voice. There sitting in one of the lounge chairs that encircled a long rectangular table was no one other than Genis Sage himself, wiping away the stray drops of water that landed on him and his casual clothes_. "He's in his regular outfit_?" the brunette thought, eying his friend with curiousity._ "Double odd... Genis not wearing his academy uniform? He's a perfect student. Why would he ruin his reputation by wearing his normal wear?" _Ending his thoughts, Lloyd finally replied, "My bad, Genis. Never thought of it being a bother. And hey, what's up with you?" His hands gestured to the silverette.

"Me? Well, I'm just here waiting for Mithos before heading off to the food court. He forgot something at our room so he double-backed to get it," Genis explained.

"Oh, no. I meant your clothing," Lloyd said, re-gesturing to Genis.

"My clothing?" Genis mumbled to himself, scanning his choice of garb. "Uh, nothing's wrong with my clothes... It's just the same blue shorts, black long sleeves, and blue jacket I've always worn." He redirected his quizzical, sapphire eyes back to Lloyd, crossing his arms. "Is there something wrong with not changing my style in a couple years?"

Lloyd shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant either. I meant you're not wearing a uniform! You being rebellious and breaking the rules is out of the norm. There's no way you'd do that, so why are you doing it now?"

"Uniform? Oh! Now it all makes sense!" Genis exclaimed, parting his crossed arms and rising from his seat.

"W-wait, what?" Lloyd stammered in confusion, brows furrowing with curiosity.

"Lloyd, you do know what day it is, right? Genis asked, his head tilting in wonder.

He immediately responded, answering with confidence, "Another academy day of classes as always, duh!"

In hearing this, Genis softly sighed. "Lloyd... today's _Saturday_."

"S-Saturday?!" Lloyd yelled, appalled in his realization. _"I woke up early and got ready on a day of no classes... great, just great."_ He deeply sighed, his shoulders sinking.

"Good going, Lloyd," Genis teased, smacking his friend square in the forehead. "You coulda had some smarts!"

**[Saturday]**

_~ S.S.D. ~_

After taking a good ten minutes to run back to his room and switch out of his uniform and into more of a casual gear, Lloyd finally made it into the food court and fell into one of the lines. Once Lloyd paid the fee for the meal, he took his food tray in hand and walked across the filled court. Despite it being a Saturday, the food court was still packed to the brim with students. They all may be just youths, but they're youths with a big appetite! So whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you know they're going to head out to a fast food area to satisfy that hunger. Thus it was hard to tell who was who amongst the crowd, and it took a shout-out and a wave from Colette for Lloyd to recognize where to seat himself.

"Glad to see you finally arrived to join us, Lloyd!" Colette happily smiled, greeting him as she scooted over.

"Hehe, sorry for the absence," Lloyd apologized as he sat down next to her. "I was delayed."

"Yeah, took you long enough to finish dressing out of your uniform!" Genis mentioned from across the table, smirk on hand.

"Genis, just shut it. I've had enough stuff to deal with for one week. I don't need more input to make things seem even worse," Lloyd bluntly stated, chowing down into his pancakes.

Mithos, who sat next to Genis, said informatively, "Well, you would've been able to prevent that if you just paid attention to your clock more often than just hitting the off button on the alarm. It does show the date and the day of the week you know."

"Wow, Genius 2 speaks just like Genius 1!" Lloyd muffled out. His face filled with chewed-up pancake and syrup. "Go figure."

Genis retorted back, defensive, "Hey, don't refer to us like some _thing_! We do have names, and besides it's not our fault you aren't observative like a normal person."

"Alright, alright." Lloyd raised his hands up, surrendering. "Sorry, it's just that I've been having such an unlucky week of rude awakenings, almost being late for class, starving --"

"Unlucky? Pssh, don't worry. Things can be _far_ worse," spoke an unknown voice.

The four sitting at the table fixated their attention to the side, all of them spotting the purple clothed sophomore who seated them-self next to Colette.

"Fujibyashi-senpai, you're joining us too? That's great!" Colette said, beaming another smile.

"Yup. My morning and afternoon are finally free for once, so I decided to come and hangout with you all," Sheena explained and then added, "and Colette, didn't I tell you enough with the formalalities? Just 'Sheena' is fine."

"Oh, sorry. I'll try to remember that, Sheena-senpai!" replied the blond girl.

Sheena sighed, closing her eyes. "... Well, I have to give you some credit; that's slightly better."

"Sheena, you're more unlucky? I'll believe it when I see it," Lloyd proclaimed, apparently forgetful of past events.

The older sophomore stared back at the brunette, stunned. "Don't you remember the first time we met? Falling into that pitfall? Bashing your head on a rock?" Sheena reached over Colette to smack the clueless freshman in the back of the head.

Receiving the hit, Lloyd winced, rubbing his sore head. "Ow! Y-you didn't have to remind me that way! I still have a bump where I got hurt, you know."

"Wouldn't that just prove Lloyd's luckless then?" said Mithos, taking a break from his own meal of rice to re-join the conversation.

"Geez, I wasn't done yet. You may think Lloyd has a terrible first week, although I can concure. Back last year, I was late to my classes due to a dead battery in my alarm clock, fell down the academy well, ate posioned food, failed a test for not having my name on it, and other unfortunate events that I can't say. Overall, that week was down right disastrous!" Sheena finished her explanation. "Worst part of it is that I'm still quite unlucky as I was back then."

Genis commented with a grim expression, "Yikes. That _is_ pretty bad."

"Well, at least one things for sure, you don't have to worry about dorming with the worse guy in history, Mr. Great Zelos Wilder!" Lloyd said, mocking his dorm-mate by flipping his own hair and fluttering his eyelids. "So that's some luck right there, right?"

"Haha," Sheena briefly laughed and then replied. "At least he doesn't continuously flirt with you! I swear, Zelos gets on my very last nerves with his constant philandering."

"That settles it! You do have an unluckier life," Lloyd admitted, chuckling.

"Speaking of Zelos, where is he? We haven't seen him at all today," Colette mentioned, looking towards Lloyd for an answer.

"I don't know," said Lloyd, shrugging. "He wasn't in our dorm room when I woke up."

Sheena scoffed, "Pfft, figures. That Chosen's probably prancing around among the new freshmen girls, adding more people to his collection of 'hunnies'."

"Heheh. Wouldn't be too suprised if you're right, Sheena-senpai. A guy like him would be spending his Saturdays hunting for girls," Genis said, shaking his head at the thought of it.

Mumbling softly, Sheena spoke to herself, "... You have know idea."

Not hearing Sheena's words, "And to think, a nerd like you isn't studying on the weekend!" Lloyd added, grinning as he chowed back down on his pancakes.

"Ha-ha. Very funny, Lloyd," Genis spewed his signature sarcasm. His sapphire eyes, glimmering of seriousness and mana. "Don't make me change your definition of _pancakes_ here and now, Lloyd."

Unlike Sheena's, Lloyd picked up Genis' message quite clearly, choking slightly on his pancakes at the thought of being struck by a spell of Genis'. Taking a napkin, the brunette wiped his mouth and didn't speak another word on the matter. He didn't want to piss-off Genis any further than this to find out what spell the young mage meant.

"Nice decision," Genis said, taking a sip of his bottle of water. His eyes returning back to normal.

And as if on que, a blur of flamboyant red and pink sped behind Sheena. The figure slowed to a stop as they slid across the tile floor. Once again, the group looked up to see another new arrival.

"Good morning!" called the person.

"Well, speak of the devil..." Mithos murmured softly under his breath.

Sheena turned around to face the new person, only to scrunch her face up sourly in disgust. "Oh... it's just _you,_" she said, turning back around in disinterest.

"Ouch! Why so cruel this fine morning, my beloved Beautiful Violent Banshee! Especially when I went out of my way for you to do you a favor!" Zelos bellowed, hurt. He posed as if being struck through his heart by an arrow.

"Zelos, I told you last year to not call me that!" Sheena exploded, her eye twitching with rage. "And what do you mean 'favor'?!"

"Well, my hunny, I simply wasted my Saturday morning to show this academy your incredible beauty!" Zelos said, basking in his accomplishment. "No need for the favor to be returned, I assure you, my hunny!" He ended with his classical wink and smile.

"Show the academy my what?! And don't call me one of your hunnies! I'm not one of them!" Sheena yelled, her face becoming flushed with anger.

"My, my, my! Don't fret so much! I'll stop... only because you said so, my Beautiful Violent Banshee," he badgered, smirking from ear to ear.

Growling, Sheena didn't want to be apart of his fun and games anymore. "Grrr! That's it, Zelos! Just tell me what you did!"

Taking out a sheet of stationary, Zelos handed it over to Sheena. On the paper wasn't the usual set of letters normally seen on paper. But instead, on that piece of paper was a video clip of a certain freshman brunette and sophomore with violet-black hair. It was a scene Sheena didn't want to see again, and her eyes grew larger as the scene kept repeating over and over. The scene: Monday morning Artes class - The Pitfall Incident. Three easy words would describe it. Full. On. Squishyville.

Shrieking and stuttering, Sheena struggled to get her response straight. "Wh-what?! H-how? W-why?!" Although there was one thing she could say straight no matter what the conditions were, "ZELOS!!!" her voice booming and her eyes set aflame. "You have some explaining to do!"

Zelos eagerly, obliged, "The plan was quite simple; however, it was very technical to actually follow through with it. It took a lot of time, sweat, a shovel, and a perfectly placed camera to do it! Then some genius ingenuity from the mind of a Wilder and presto! Several copies of a Beautiful Violent Banshee for the entire academy to see!"

"Ohohoho~ Don't worry, Zelos. I'll return that favor for you. Real soon actually," Sheena said, standing up from her seat and stepping away from the group table to face the red-head.

"Really? You liked it that much! Why, Sheena!" Zelos cheered, his face pursed in joy. "Is it a present? That's out of the blue!" He smiled childishly at the thought.

"Oh, yes. A real _nice_ present," Sheena teasingly said, approaching the Chosen. "Just close your eyes, and on the count of three, I'll give you your reward."

Obeying her words, Zelos shut his eyes tight, his body bursting with anticipation.

"Okay, one," Sheena began counting.

"Oh, Martel! I can't wait to see what it is!"

"Two." A _Crack! _flowed into Zelos' ears.

"Huh?!" exclaimed Zelos, alarmed. "Wait, Sheena, did you just crack your knuckles? Wh-what are you--" The red-haired man re-opened his eyes a jar to see what was before him.

"Three!" he saw Sheena holler. And then, with a swing of her leg...

Zelos yelped, "Gauh! ... Cr-cr-critical h-hit t-to the b-boys..." And he fell to the food court floor, writhing in a curled-up ball. His once jovial face was now twisted up in agony, his teeth clamped together to hold in any other screams that could leave the sophomore man's mouth.

Above the downed figure of the 'Great' Zelos Wilder was a triumphant Sheena, dusting off her hands and shoulder. "Hmph! Was that a good enough present for ya?!"

With a sore groin, Zelos shakily and slowly stood up, speaking with a cheeky grin, "A-actually... it wasn't that bad of a present."

"What?! Did I kick you that hard for you to go insane?" asked the puzzled, purple-clothed sophomore.

Grinning even wider, Zelos cooed, "I got to find out whether you're the thongs or panties type." His eyebrows rising up and down at implying such.

Sheena, immediately understanding this, shouted with gritted teeth, "Why you?!" A ready hand of hers rose up and swung about, barring intentions of hitting the perverted man smack in the face; however, Zelos being not so foolish, stepped backwards, dodging the blow.

"So we're even, eh?" Zelos winked seductively.

"Not in the slightest!" Sheena announced, rushing to Zelos and obviously wanting to continue pummelling him around. But like before, Zelos wasn't making things easy, dodging about and swerving to avoid getting hit. Even to the point where they both left the area, exiting the food court completely.

"And there they go," said Colette. The group's attention returning back to the table. "They really have a unique chemistry, don't they?"

Lloyd laughed. "No kidding! The nickname Zelos gave her, Beautiful Violent Banshee, I can finally see why he calls her that."

"Yup, Sheena being beautiful and violent and loud is quite on the spot!" Mithos laughed as well.

Genis sighed and said, "If only that idiot Chosen could see why she is like that in the first place. Then maybe Sheena wouldn't be this so called 'Violent Banshee'."

"True, Genis," Mithos said, his hands cradling his chin in a thinking position.

Even though they were now elsewhere to where only Martel knows, the sophomore duo's voices could be still heard from the gang.

"Now, now! Sheena!"

"Don't you 'Now, now! Sheena!' me! You really did post these fliers everywhere on campus! You know how long this'll take to remove all of them?!"

"Uh, a couple hours?"

"ZELOS, YOU'RE A _DEAD MAN_!!!"

The gang sunk their heads in unison, all sighing and shaking their heads at the sound of their new friends.

"At this rate, I doubt he'll catch on," Lloyd declared before they all returned back to their morning meals.

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**Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you all again!! Hope you all had a good 2009 year, and see you all in 2010! ;3**


	5. To Lose Is To Lose Again?

Welcome back, everyone!~ And yay for the first chapter of 2010! ;D

Enjoy the longest chapter, Chapter 5, everyone! ... I practically slaved over it, so I hope you find it entertaining at least. :D

**Disclaimer:** Namco Bandai owns the rights to Symphonia!

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**_Ch. 5: To Lose Is To Lose Again?_**

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"Has everyone presented and turned in their reports?" the silver-haired woman spoke, scanning amongst her History 1 class for an answer.

"Yes, Professor Raine," they responded respectfully.

"Good," Raine said with a slight sigh and a smile. "With the lesson done and the family tree reports out of the way, I can finally call it a day. Class is dismissed!"

The students all shouted and cheered as they all stood up, hearing those words; their chairs screeching against the tile floors as they did so. They all gathered their belongings and rushed out of the door at mach speeds.

"Have a good weekend, everyone, but don't forget to read over Chapters 5 & 6! We'll be discussing them next week when you all get back next Friday!" Raine added, calling out to her fleeing students.

That's why all the students were all in a hurry; it was Friday. And every teenager knows what that means, it's time to relax, hangout with friends, procrastinate, and do whatever else that their young hearts desired. With the weekend ahead of them, possibilities of what they could do was endless.

Although, things wouldn't be like that for two certain teenagers… Their weekend would be more like a 'lost' cause.

"Thank the Goddess Martel for the weekends!" Lloyd praised, stretching his arms above him and his legs underneath his desk. "Another week over and another well deserved weekend of antics and sleeping coming right up!"

"Heheh," chuckled a familiar voice, "that's all you seem to be known for, Lloyd, antics and sleeping."

Directing his attention to the side, Lloyd saw Colette standing next to his desk. "Well, it's what I do best," he proudly said. He scooted back his chair and stood up, then he pushed back his chair under his desk. "So, Colette, you ready for the weekend?"

"Yup!" she cheerfully responded, bouncing on her heels. "You still up for the Friday Fright Night Marathon with everyone at the movies, right?"

"Of course! It isn't a Friday night without everyone together watching horror films in the dead of night! Muhaha!" Lloyd mocked an evil laugh and eventually broke into a normal one to which Colette joined in the laughter too.

Once the laughter subsided, Colette asked him, "You reminded Genis, Mithos, and Zelos, right? I re-informed Sheena this morning and she said she'd still be able to make it."

"That's good. I told Zelos last night and he said the same thing. And I did tell Mithos today in-between classes… But I kind of forgot to tell Genis this morning," Lloyd confessed, scratching the back of his head. "No worries though! Genis is right here so that's taken care of. Right, Genis?" He spun himself to face the back of the class, expecting to spot the silverette. To his surprise, the person he was looking for wasn't there.

"Huh, he's not here? Did he leave without us?" Colette pondered aloud as she too searched around.

"Well, that's okay because thank Martel again for the invention of cell phones!" the brunette exclaimed with a triumphant grin, whipping out his cellular device from the depths of his uniform pants' pocket and held it high up to the ceiling. He clicked his friend's speed-dial number, eagerly anticipating his answer.

_Ring! _was the sound of the cell phone line. Both awaiting teens, Lloyd and Colette, had their ears pressed onto the speaker end.

"Come on, Genis! Pick up!" Lloyd commanded, though his words were futile from here.

… _Ring! …_

Colette, still listening intently, bit her bottom lip gently in anticipation.

… _Ring! …_

And then, "Uh… hello?" came the familiar voice of Genis.

"Hoy, Genis!" Lloyd started, pulling the cell away from Colette's ear. "Why'd you leave me and Colette here! We needed to remind you of movie--" The brunette couldn't finish because the silverette interrupted him mid-sentence.

"Sorry… But, I can't make it to the phone right now because of complications due to summer ending and school coming up. You know how that can be - stressful and time consuming." Genis sighs. "Anyways, please leave your name and a message and I'll try to get back to you. Thanks!"

"Eh?!" Lloyd yelled, looking at his phone in disbelief.

Worried, Colette asked, "What happened?! What did Genis say?!" her ears attentive and her eyes fixated on Lloyd's forlorn expression.

Pressing the end call button and pocketing his phone, Lloyd replied dully, "It was his voice-mail that answered."

Colette, downhearted, let her sky-blue eyes travel downward to the floor, "Oh… Well, that's a shame."

"Yeah, it is... He hasn't changed that voice-mail of his in weeks! That thing still says school starting soon!" complained the brunette. "That elf needs to get with the times."

Covering her mouth, Colette laughed lightly, "Lloyd, I was talking about not being able to reach him."

Lloyd smiled boyishly. "Well, that too. Come on, let's find our missing elf!" proclaimed the brunette, gesturing to the professor's desk. He began his walk over there with Colette behind him.

With a friendly wave, Lloyd greeted, "Afternoon, Professor!"

"Good afternoon, Professor Raine," Colette with her smile and a bow greeted also.

Professor Raine, absorbed in her work of grading papers, removed her glasses and glanced up to see her students. "Ah, good afternoon to you too, Lloyd, Colette. You two did aplomb jobs with your reports by the way. Congratulations!" She ended off with a smile. "I was quite shocked with your report the most, Lloyd. You did better than my expectations; a 'B-' for you. And, Colette, as always, an 'A'. "

"Wow," Lloyd, amazed at his achievement, had his mouth gaping open, "another new record! Thanks, Professor."

"Thank you, Professor Raine, but Lloyd and I were originally here to ask you something," Colette said innocently.

"If it's relating to the next pop-quiz's topic and answers, then no." Hearing that, Lloyd cursed silently to himself at the loss of an opportunity. Ignoring her student's disappointed expression before her, Professor Raine continued stating, "However, if it isn't, I'm willing to listen." She rested her elbows on top of her desk, allowing her to support her chin with the fingers of her hands.

"It's about Genis. We needed to remind him about movie night, but he seems to have left without even saying goodbye. Lloyd tried to contact his cell, but he won't pick-up," explained Colette. "Do you have an idea of where he went, Professor?"

Raine took a pause and closed her sapphire eyes, thinking for a moment. When she re-opened them she spoke, "I believe at the beginning of class Genis asked me if he could leave early before class ended to go to his dorm, get a paper, and deliver it some place. Apparently the reason being is that it's due today. In the end though, I didn't allow him."

"Ah, thank you very much, Professor!" Colette bowed gratefully. "That's all we needed to know. Let's go, Lloyd." The blond began turning to the door and was about to walk forward but soon stopped, hearing Lloyd protest behind her.

"J-just a sec!" he called to Colette and then redirected his attention to Professor Raine. "Um, you wouldn't even be able to give me one teeny lil' hint of what the upcoming pop-quiz's topic might be would you? I mean, I did get a 'B-' on my report, didn't I? That should be enough of a consolation-prize then." He flashed an awkward smile.

In doing so only gave Lloyd a sigh and chuckle of laughter from Raine in response. Her eyes closed shut as she shook her head at his ineffective attempts to get the pop-quiz's topic from her. Opening her eyes again, "Sorry, Lloyd. You're going to have to deal with not knowing the topic until the quiz is right in front of you in physical paper form."

"B-but--" stuttered Lloyd, unable to think of a better reason.

Sighing, Colette double backed and grabbed Lloyd by the wrist. "Lloyd," she interrupted, "it's best not to bother Professor Raine any longer." With her tight grasp, Colette pulled Lloyd along behind her gently.

"C-Colette?! I said wait a sec!" Lloyd bellowed, trying to resist. Despite her delicate frame, Colette was quite strong; Lloyd couldn't squirm out of her hold. In a final last stand, Lloyd cried back, "Ah, Professor! How about just the letter of the topic then?! An "A"? Or a 'B'? What about a "C"?!"

Raine didn't reply back to him. She simply stayed silent, watching her students' departure.

"Bye, Professor Raine!" called Colette, waving her free hand. "Have a good weekend!"

"See you two later. And don't get into any trouble!" Raine bid them farewell with a slight wave before placing back her glasses and returning to her grading.

"Hah! So it is a 'C'?!" exclaimed Lloyd as he was pulled out of the classroom.

Laughing, Raine whispered to herself, "Those two haven't changed one bit." A small, genuine smile emerged on her face.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Outside by the History wing, Colette had finally let go of her clutch on Lloyd. With Colette as the lead, Lloyd found that Colette led him into the middle of the courtyard. Fellow peers were walking around them. Colette looked toward the sky, noticing the sun about to set in the west. The afternoon would soon end in an hour, and Colette knew it.

Turning to face Lloyd, Colette informed, "We don't have much time before the movie marathon starts at 6."

Lloyd, busting out his cell phone to check, read the time to be 4:57 p.m. "You're right, Colette."

"I'll go and meet up with Sheena, Zelos, and Mithos at the theater. We'll buy the tickets for the Friday Fright Night Marathon and the food too. So you just go to the dorms and catch up with Genis, okay?" Colette said. "And if anything comes up, I'll call you or you call me, alright?"

"Don't worry. I've got everything under control," Lloyd declared with a bold smile.

Colette grinned as well. "I believe in you, Lloyd!" she shouted as she jogged off into the direction of the movie theater. "I'll see you there!"

"Yeah, see ya!" the brunette called back. He turned to the other direction, toward the men's 3-D dormitory. He began sprinting off to his set destination. As he ran, he thought one final thought, _"Now, time to find, Genis!"_

_~ S.S.D ~_

"Oh, man. Oh, man, oh, man!" spoke a troubled, anxious voice.

The owner of that voice was none other than Genis Sage himself. Why was he apprehensive? Well, he had been pacing in the 3-D dormitory's third floor for what it seemed to be thirty minutes straight. The door he paced in front of was the one to his room, Room 72. It was shut closed completely. The sapphire eyes of his were frantic, continuing to bounce back and forth from the numbers on his door to back to the carpet of which he was still pacing. Beads of sweat accumulated on his forehead and neck, adding to the tension.

On edge, Genis pulled at this silver hair, obviously stressing out and having a melt down. "How could I let this happen?!" he shouted aloud. He stopped his pacing as he rounded in front of his door again. Staring at those same golden numbers, he felt mocked and taunted. Letting go of his hair, he let his arms drop to his sides. Genis, gritting his teeth, cried aloud, "Damn, door, open!" With a forceful swing of his leg, he kicked into the bottom of said object. However, such attempt proved worthless and pointless.

The door did not budge.

Loosing all hope, Genis turned his back to Room 72's door and leaned his body onto it. He carelessly slid down the door, plopping on his bottom to sit on the carpeted floor beneath him. His head sunk in between his shoulders. His hands went before his vision, both open and limp.

"_Is my goal _that _hard to be unable to accomplish?"_ he questioned himself in thought.

From the far end of the hallway by the elevator, out popped a brunette. Seeing the sitting silver-headed boy, the brunette smiled in victory. "Genis!" the brown-haired called out.

"Huh?" Genis said to himself, raising his head from the ground to see who yelled his name. "Lloyd?!" he identified with ease, spotting that familiar bush of brown and that cocky grin. "What the heck are you doing here?"

Jogging over, Lloyd replied, "Hey, that should be my line!" He laughed, halting to a stop by his friend. "Why are you here moping on the floor? Y'know me and Colette were trying to reach you ever since you left the History classroom without us. We needed to remind you of the Friday Fright Night Marathon tonight!"

"Oh, sorry… It's just that I had to leave as soon as I could to deliver a paper to Professor Kvar that I left in my dorm room," the silverette explained from the ground.

"Raine said us the same thing to us. That's how I caught up to you in the first place," said Lloyd, "but it doesn't seem like you're in a rush to deliver that paper of yours with you all slumped on the carpet. Makes me feel my efforts of running here were a waste."

Genis sighed. "Well, I would be still in a rush, but I've ran into quite a predicament."

"Something happened?" Lloyd asked, barring a raised brow.

Looking away from Lloyd's gaze, Genis replied softly, "I lost my ID."

"What?! That's why you're out here?" shouted Lloyd, throwing his arms into the air. "Why didn't you just call Mithos so he could open the door for you? And speaking of calling, why didn't you pick up when I called you?!"

The silver-headed boy didn't say a word. He shuffled through his pants' pocket to take out his own cell phone, flipping it open in his hand. After doing so, he raised the screen for Lloyd to see. Craning his neck downward, Lloyd examined Genis' cell. Nothing was displayed on the screen. All that it was on it was a wall of blackness - a total blank.

"My cell batteries died," Genis clarified, flipping his cell shut and putting it back. "I forgot to charge it last night."

"Well, that explains it. But that still doesn't give you a good enough excuse to be moping around on the floor! C'mon, we gotta start searching for your ID now!" motioned Lloyd.

Like his own door, Genis didn't budge from where he sat, "It's useless. We would be wasting more time just by searching for it. By the time we do find it, that is _if_ we do, the time limit to turn it in would have already expired, and I doubt the professor would accept a late report."

"Hmmm… I guess you're right, Genis," Lloyd said, sitting down beside the silverette. Looking over to Genis, Lloyd asked, "Just what are you going to do now?"

Genis exhaled a breath, closing his eyes. "For once, I have no idea, Lloyd." The silverette broke out into light laughter. "Funny, considering I'm just sitting here waiting for a plan to come to me. Pfft! Like ideas come crashing down above our heads!"

Hearing his best friend, Lloyd frowned. He hadn't remembered the last time Genis was so pessimistic. Turning away, Lloyd faced the wall opposite him. The brunette contemplating over the silver-haired's final words, _"Like ideas come crashing down above our heads!"_

"Above our heads?" Lloyd whispered to himself. His head tilted backwards and his line of sight was aimed at the ceiling. His brown eyebrows furrowed in thought and his hazel eyes squinted as he continued to stare. And as quick as a bolt of lightning, it came to him. Immediately rising to his feet and standing, Lloyd exclaimed to his friend, "I-I've got an idea!!" He beamed a confident smile.

"W-what?!" Genis broke out from his trance, giving Lloyd a wide-eyed look. "An idea?"

"Yeah! But you have to get up first," Lloyd offered a hand to him.

Grabbing on, Genis was helped to his feet. "Thanks," he said, brushing off any dirt on his pants. "And now, what's this idea of yours?" Genis questioned, arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

"Well," Lloyd began, "my idea is for us to get into your room by crawling on the ceiling!" He pointed to the ceiling above him.

"Crawling on top of the ceiling? Are you crazy?!"

"It's either that or do you want to break through some walls to get into your dorm room?" retorted Lloyd. "Besides, don't you want to get credit for that paper you did?"

Reluctantly, Genis shook his head, giving in, "Oh, I'm seriously going to regret this, but okay! We'll go with your plan, Lloyd. But just how are we going to get up there?"

"Simple, just bring your hands together by crossing your fingers, crouch your knees, and, once I step onto your hands, you boost me up," Lloyd demonstrated every mentioned action, displaying for Genis what to do. "From there, I'll push away a ceiling tile and crawl on top. Once I'm up there, I'll extend an arm back to you and hoist you up. Got it?"

Genis nodded, understanding his role.

"Well, then let's get 'Operation: Navigate the Ceiling Tiles' going on the double!" announced Lloyd and to which Genis gave a glare at such a ridiculous name.

Taking action, the two positioned themselves accordingly. Genis was standing in the middle of the hall in front of Room 72, while, on the other hand, Lloyd was standing at the ready far away by his own door, Room 53, and aligned with Genis.

"You ready?!" Lloyd asked, setting himself up in a sprinter's starting position.

"Ready!" answered Genis, crossing together his fingers and crouching.

"Alrighty, here I go!" shouted Lloyd, his feet rocketing him forward into a sprint. His feet pounded loudly onto the carpet floor as he accelerated once reaching the 60 room number mark.

Across from him a few meters away was a tense Genis, but the silverette didn't run away. He cemented his feet to the ground and clenched his teeth in anticipation.

Once Lloyd had reached Genis, he gracefully transitioned his foot on top of Genis' intertwined fingers, yelling the order, "Now!"

Obeying his words, Genis lifted with all his strength to hoist the brunette to the ceiling. Lloyd extended his hands above him, ready to push aside the tile. And as he felt the material brush his fingers, he pressed forward, pushing the ceiling tile to the side. Continuing the fluid motion he originally started, Lloyd reached out as far as he could with his arms and hanged onto the edge of the opening that he had made.

Beneath his feet, he could feel Genis letting go and stop supporting his legs. Shortly after, he heard him land on his bottom. Apparently the strength he had before the operation left him by now. Good thing Lloyd knew of his friend's low physical status. If he didn't and Genis was the one hanging, there would be no way he could hoist himself up _and_ Lloyd too.

Wriggling about, Lloyd eased himself up onto the darkness filled ceiling. He breathed a sigh of relief and accomplishment as he sprawled out on his back.

From below, he heard Genis call, "Lloyd, you okay?!"

Lloyd poked his brunette head down the hole, "Yeah, just taking a breather." And then he extended an arm.

Grabbing on tightly with both of his hands, Genis was soon lifted up by Lloyd. When Genis was on the ceiling too, Lloyd's strength gave way as well and he instantly laid back down on the tiles tired, his muscles strained.

"Thanks," Genis said earnestly.

"Not… a… problem," Lloyd struggled through breaths.

Catching his breath, Lloyd began crawling across the ceiling tiles and the darkness with Genis following close beside him.

"I'm still pretty iffy about this plan of yours, Lloyd," mentioned Genis. "I mean, how sure are you that these tiles won't collapse underneath us?"

"Genis, stop being such a worry-wart. You yourself said before that Symphonia is high classed. What better can you get than high classed itself?"

"I said the _people _are high classed! I said nothing of the quality of their engineering!" Genis snapped back.

And just as he said that, a barely audible _Creek! _emitted from beneath the two teens. The sensitive, elven ears of Genis easily picked up on such a sound.

"W-what the heck was that?!" Genis said in alarm, stopping his pursuit of crawling.

Noticing his friend's stall, Lloyd stopped too. "What the heck was what?"

Crawling toward him a few paces, "What else?! That 'Creek!' sound that just came from the tiles below us!" The silverette's expression was a mixture of agitation and panic.

"I didn't hear anything," Lloyd said honestly. "You're just overreacting and hearing things, Genis. Chill out, okay?" He continued crawling forward.

"W-wait, Lloyd! At this rate, you'll--" Genis shouted, grabbing hold of the brunette's leg in an effort to stop him.

But it was too late. Another _Creek_! emitted from underneath. However, this one was much more louder and more audible. Lloyd's ears finally picked up on the sound. He stopped in his tracks to stare at the tile below his hands and knees. To his horror written face, Lloyd witnessed the tile shaking and trembling under the both of them. And from the far bottom right corner, the one nearest Genis, is where the weight was mostly focused and distributed. The two youths could only stare as the corner gave way from gravity and light began pouring in. They were about to make an unscheduled landing whether they liked it or not.

Closing their eyes shut, the two braced themselves for impact as they slowly felt weightless in the free fall.

"Ahhhh!!!" they screamed before colliding violently onto the carpeted floor below. A loud _Thud!_ radiated during impact.

"Geez…" Lloyd said, sitting up and recovering first from the fall. "I didn't expect a sudden exit like that. And I was surprised about the landing too; I barely got hurt!" He finished with a content smile.

"Well, I wonder why?!" hollered the voice of Genis, his signature sarcasm present by one-hundred percent.

"Huh?" the brunette muttered as he looked under him to find the source of the voice. His hazel eyes immediately shot open in shock as he saw his best friend's face.

"That's because you landed on my _head_, you idiot!!" Genis screamed, thrashing and twisting about. He pounded his fist as hard as he could into Lloyd's figure, trying to stop the brunette from sitting on his cranium any longer. "Now get the hell off!!!"

Lloyd hopped off his friend's head right away, rubbing his head apologetically. "Heheh. Sorry about that."

Brushing himself off, Genis got up, shaking and massaging his poor crushed head. Genis, irritated, replied back, "Just don't _ever_ think of doing it again. If you do, remember what I said about your definition of pancakes; they can and will be changed!"

"Point taken," Lloyd said, raising a hand.

With that situation behind them, Lloyd and Genis could finally scout their surrounding area. The room they crash landed into, to their bad luck, wasn't at all Room 72. In fact, it didn't appear to be like a dorm room at all! There was a bed, chairs, tables, a TV, and closet present like every dorm on campus. But it wasn't the fact that they were there that made the room unlike a normal dorm. It was the fact that the style and decoration on all of them were outrageous. Just looking at it brought quizzical looks on both Lloyd's and Genis' faces.

Everything was styled neatly and orderly in pinks, reds, and whites. And there was a re-occurring theme amongst all the furniture. The theme: a young girl's face was plastered on every single item. Judging by her face, she seemed to be roughly 18 years old. She had bleach-blond hair that came to her shoulders and wore a white cap with a veil like extension in the back and pink streamers that protruded from the cap to frame her face. She wore a intimidating smile and her yellow-orange eyes appeared to watch them as they looked around the room. To no avail, Genis and Lloyd could not escape her all-seeing eyes; the young teenage girl was everywhere from the poster on the walls, to sheets on the bed, to the pillow cases, to chair cushions, to special pattered carpeting, and it didn't stop there.

Finally speaking out, Genis admitted, "And I thought Zelos was obsessed with the colors pink, red, and white." He stepped forward to examine a cardboard life size version of this 'theme girl'. She was slightly taller than him by a couple inches.

"Yeah, I know, right?" chuckled Lloyd. The brunette walked over to the windows. "I'm going to shut the blinds. These bright, flamboyant colors are killing my eyes." Doing as he said, he grabbed the white, wooden rod and twisted it, and in turn, closing the blinds. He shrieked out an "Ahh!" upon seeing the blinds fully shut.

Genis redirected his attention from the cardboard cut-out and spun around to see what the commotion was all about. Seeing it too, he jumped up in shock.

The complete shut blinds formed another face of the 'theme girl' except that it was much larger than any other face on any other piece of furniture.

Adding on to what Genis said before, Lloyd spoke, "And I thought Zelos was narcissistic…" He trailed off, looking in awe at the sight.

"Wait a sec, but this is a men's dorm," Genis noted, waving around a hand. "Then this room has to be…"

Both Genis and Lloyd shuddered at the thought.

Shaking his head, Genis continued, "Uh, anyways… Lloyd, I think I've had enough lingering about this room. Maybe now's a good time to skedaddle on out of here?" He urged, motioning to the hole in the ceiling.

Facing Genis, Lloyd replied, "You don't have to tell me twice."

Positioning themselves once more, Lloyd vaulted off of Genis' hands again and pulled himself up into the darkness filled ceiling. Lloyd returned back to the hole, poking his head down it. "Toss back up the tile!"

As he said, Genis held out the tile that buckled and collapsed previously. "Here!"

Lloyd grabbed onto it and pulled it back up, setting aside next to him. He once again returned to the hole, this time to get Genis. Extending his arm out to him, Genis latched on with both hands.

A _Click! _echoed in the dorm room, halting the process of hoisting Genis up.

Such a sound made Genis and Lloyd stop and glance at each other for a split moment. They both, after two weeks of hearing it daily, knew that sound by heart. There would be no mistake in their minds as the two thought the same exact thing, _"Someone's entering the room!!"_

In knowing so, Genis hastily spewed as quietly as he possibly could, "Pull me up, pull me up, pull me up!!"

With his remaining energy, Lloyd tried to pull his friend up as fast as he could. But by the time a _Creak!_ erupted into their ears, they knew it was too late. The door had opened and the footsteps of someone proceeded into the room. As if it would protect them, the two shut their eyes for events to come. When the footsteps stopped, the sound of something lightweight like a ID card hitting the carpet came right after.

The words "Intruders invading my Lady Alice shrine?!" that followed were apparently those of a man that entered.

Being brave enough, Genis opened one eye and turned his head slightly and ever-so-slowly to see the person standing at the doorway. He had the golden insignia of a junior on his uniform and had dark, royal-blue hair. The man's matching blue eyes shined of anger and confusion as he stared back at Genis who was dangling halfway between the ceiling and the floor.

Genis, with a trembling voice, tried to answer, "U-um… n-no harm, no f-foul, right?" He smiled bleakly.

"You two will pay for trespassing!" the royal-blue haired junior roared, running toward Genis with outstretched arms, intending to tackle him.

Squirming back and forth, Genis yelled up to Lloyd, "Pull me up, pull me up, pull me up!"

Slow and steady, Genis was being hoisted up again. Believing it wasn't going to be quick enough, Genis felt around with his feet for anything that he could step on. For once, lady luck had been on the silver-haired's side. Below his foot, he stepped onto something and pushed off of it, allowing Lloyd to pull him up easier with one final tug.

However, in the process of doing so, a _Crack!_ came from whatever Genis vaulted off of, stopping the junior right in his tracks.

Stunned, the two boys on the ceiling looked back down the hole to see why.

The blue-haired junior had slumped down on his knees next to the object Genis stepped on. He picked up the piece that had snapped off, holding it tenderly in his hands. The object that Genis broke during his quest of trying to get out of the man's clutches was the cardboard life-sized 'theme girl'... The piece that broke off was her head.

"L-Lady Alice?" whispered the junior, holding the girl's cardboard head to his chest. Faint crying could be heard from him.

Both teens felt a pit of regret and sadness for the man. They didn't want to intrude into his personal area or even break anything. It's just their fate tends to have such negative effects.

Lloyd, taking the tile, placed it back over the hole, not wanting to watch the spectacle in front of them. He ensured that the tile was secure and stable before turning and crawling in a different direction. Genis, like before, followed next to him but this time stayed a good foot away to prevent anymore unscheduled landings.

"Man, that was _way _too close for comfort," Genis said. A hint of fear still lingered in his voice.

Nodding, Lloyd agreed, "Let's not try meeting up with that guy anytime soon by the way."

"No kidding. He'd probably do to me what I did to that cardboard person," Genis gulped, thinking of the thought of being beheaded.

"Yeah, I thought he was going to kill you there for a second!" Stopping his crawl, Lloyd said, "Watch yourself." And then he pushed down onto a tile, causing it to pop out of its place and plummet to the ground. Scooting over to the opening, Lloyd dropped down the hole first and landed safely. Genis behind him did the same.

"I thought the same thing too! That's why I thrashing so much to find something to use to jump up to you," Genis explained, then sighed. "But now that it's over, I'd rather not think about it so much anymore."

"Agreed," said the brunette, lying down onto Genis' bed.

On Genis' bedside table, he found his manila folder. Picking it up, Genis looked inside, checking to see if his work was still there.

"Finally, I've gotten my report!" Genis exclaimed, triumphant. On his face surfaced a smile. "Let's go, Lloyd! We still have twenty minutes left to turn this in to Professor Kvar in the Biology room!" the silverette ordered, smacking his friend lightly with the folder.

Lloyd hopped off the bed and followed Genis, laughing, "Now, that's the enthusiastic Genis I know!"

Swinging open the door, Genis and Lloyd rushed into the hallway, making their way to the elevator.

Once inside, Genis pressed the 'Lobby' button.

"I found you and informed you of movie night. You finally have your report and are turning it in. And after that we can both finally be able to go to the theaters and make the Friday Fright Night Marathon! Man, can this Friday get any luckier?" Lloyd asked to no one in particular, his hands coming to rest on the back of his head casually.

As if to contradict the brunette's words, out in the third floor hallway came stepping out from a dorm room was the tearful, royal-blue haired man. The blue-haired man turned to the elevator only to see the same two fearful faces of Lloyd and Genis from before.

"You two!" he cried, charging in their direction.

This time it was Lloyd who was screaming frantically, "Shut the door, shut the door, shut the door!" His hand pointed to the button while his hazel eyes ricocheted from the 'Close Door' button to the angered junior.

At the same time, Genis was hurriedly tapping the 'Close Door' button as he life depended on it. He was too focused on getting the door shut to notice the close proximity of the man.

When the man was just a meter away, the doors shut began to shut in everyone's surprise. And when the man reached out to stop it, the doors shut completely, denying him and at the same time saving Genis and Lloyd. An excruciating _Bang!_ rang inside the elevator, most likely from the junior beating on the shut doors. Hearing the loud sound caused both teens to flinch in fear.

Lloyd, who was now backed up on the far wall, heaved a deep sigh of relief. "Genis… I finally know how you felt squirming down there, watching him approach you like that... I'm sorry," said an earnest and sorrowful Lloyd.

Clutching onto his manila folder, "Why, thanks for the sympathy," Genis gave a small laugh and a smile.

The elevator soon chimed its usual chime, indicating the ride's end. The doors opened and the freshmen stepped out into the lobby.

Just when the two thought they were in the clear, barreling out from the emergency staircase came none other than the royal-blue haired junior.

"You guys can't run away from me," the junior claimed, chasing after them.

Breaking out into sprints, the two freshmen pushed open the double doors, running toward the Biology building as fast as they could.

Lloyd, in midst of his running, managed to yell a final thought aloud, "Will it _ever_ end?!"

* * *

_**~ Intermission I ~**_

* * *

Symphonia's theaters were a spectacular light show when it neared night time. The spot lights in the ground flickered on, illuminating the tall and wide board of movie posters as well as embroidering the theater itself. The theater being roughly as large as ten soccer fields long and wide meant that there were several spot lights; all varying in size depending on where it was located.

The lines for the movies were all filled up to the brim, stretching from all the way down to the parking lot sidewalks. Each and every person waited for the same thing. Friday Fright Night Marathon tickets.

Expecting for this to happen, Colette had reached the theaters early, meeting up with Sheena, Zelos, and Mithos in the ticket line thirty minutes before the rush came. Along with getting tickets, they bought large popcorns, candy, and sodas for the marathon of horror.

Although, even with all these preparations, they had one problem. The problem being: Lloyd and Genis. The duo was still missing.

On edge of the sidewalk, Colette was perched on her tip-toes, scouting the streets and the parking lot for the familiar bushes of brown and silver. Sadly, she saw none fitting those qualities.

Frowning, the blond took out her cell phone. She read the time. _"10 minutes before 6 o'clock,"_ Colette thought. _"The movies going to start soon… Where are they?"_

Colette, concerned of her friends' absence, dialed Lloyd's speed-dial number. Pressing the speaker end firmly to her ear, Colette listened. _Ring! … Ring! … Ring! …_

"Hello?!" she heard Lloyd's familiar voice and smiled thankfully, glad that her friend wasn't harmed. However, something bothered her. His voice seemed drained and she could hear wheezing and the pounding of shoes on pavement on Lloyd's end.

Perplexed, Colette asked, "Lloyd, where are you?"

"C-Colette?!" Lloyd replied, recognizing the voice. His voice straining, "R-right now isn't such a good time to talk!"

From Lloyd's end of the line, Colette heard another tired voice, "W-wait, Colette?! Why is she calling you, Lloyd, especially now of all times?!" She knew that voice too; it had to be Genis'.

"Genis is with you too! Are you both alright?" she asked.

"N-not really! We're kind of in a fix right at the moment!!" said Lloyd.

Out of nowhere on Lloyd's end, Colette heard a different voice, one that was no where near familiar, "When I catch you two, I'm going to take you freshmen and pulverize you so much that you won't be men but instead be referred to as _freshmeat_!!" This new voice, it spoke with venom and spite.

"Who, who was that?!" yelled Colette, falling into a sea of confusion.

"A-an acquaintance!" Lloyd said quickly.

In the background, Colette faintly heard Genis' mutter, "Yeah, an acquaintance that wants to _kill_ you after the first meeting…" Colette then heard a fast motion of a hand and a _Thump! _to the head. Genis squeaked out, "Ow!"

"Genis, shut up!" she heard Lloyd yell off to the side. Returning back to her, the brunette spoke, "Uh, Colette, I'll have to get back to you later."

"Wh-what? But h-hold on! What's going o--" Colette was interrupted.

"Don't worry, Colette. Me and Genis will make it to the movies. We might be late by a few minutes or so, but we'll be there," Lloyd said. "I did say I had everything under control, didn't I?"

"With the keyword being the word _'had'_!" she heard Genis comment.

"Genis," Lloyd growled.

The blond girl smiled gently into the cell phone. She softly said, "I believe in you, Lloyd."

On the phone line, she could barely hear Lloyd's soft gasp. "… Thanks, Colette… Just save us some sea--aaaahhhhhh!!" Lloyd screamed.

"Uwaaahhh!!" she heard Genis shriek similarly as well.

"Lloyd?! Genis?!" Colette shouted, her sky-blue eyes dancing with anxiety.

She heard Lloyd's cell phone collide with the cemented pavement, bouncing about violently before sliding to a stop. And then, the sound of two bodies crashing into an object followed after.

There was a few seconds of silence before Colette heard anything else. "Ouch… my poor, aching head," complained the voice of Genis.

"Genis?! Genis, answer me!" Colette pleaded sorrowfully.

"Eh, Lloyd?! Lloyd, wake up! Lloyd! … Ugh, damn it! " the blond heard him curse, and then the sound of the cell phone being picked up filled her ears.

"C-Colette…?" Genis wearily answered.

"Genis, what happened? Did you and Lloyd get hurt?!"

"We're doing fine. Lloyd… well, he's just taking a 'nap' right now."

Colette, puzzled, questioned, "Nap?"

"Uh, sorry, but, I have to go! Bye, Colette!" Genis said abruptly.

"Wait, Genis, don't--" she heard the line drop and the call end, "go." Reluctantly, she stared at her cell phone and flipped it closed, putting it away.

"Something wrong, Colette?"

"Huh, oh, Sheena-senpai," Colette said, acknowledging the sophomore's arrival.

Sheena, walking to the edge of the sidewalk, stood side-by-side with Colette, "Lloyd and Genis are running pretty late, huh?"

Colette nodded quietly.

"I'm sure they'll come sooner or later, " Sheena said comfortingly.

"I know," Colette started, "I'm not worried about that… I'm just worried if they've gotten hurt." She bit her lip gently at her final words.

"Well, that is a possibility," admitted Sheena bluntly.

"S-Sheena-senpai?!" the blond exclaimed, shocked at her superior's words. She clearly expected the opposite.

Sheena continued, "But even so, I'm confident that Lloyd and Genis can pull through. They are quite tough cookies! Remember, Lloyd took that blow to the head by a rock the first day I met him?" She tapped her head.

Together, Sheena and Colette laughed at the memory.

"Not only that, but Bud can withstand even an second level spell too!" commented a voice from behind. His voice was choppy though due to the sound of crunching.

The two young girls, turning around, found the reason why. Zelos had several large popcorn bags and candies overflowing in his arms. He apparently was chowing down and helping himself to the fluffy, fresh popped popcorn.

Sheena, seeing the abundant amount of food, asked, "Zelos, where did you get those other bags of popcorn and boxes of candy? I swear we bought less than that."

"Well, you know the saying," Zelos said, eating more popcorn. "When life showers you with gifts, accept them!"

"Gifts, but how--" Sheena cut herself off, noticing something off in the distance.

Behind Zelos was a group of beautiful, young women; all of them wooing and waving seductively towards Zelos. In return, Zelos winked back his classic wink, causing the groupie of girls to melt and fan themselves.

Shaking her head, she finished with a sour face, "I should've known."

Sheena, walking toward the sophomore man, heaved a heavy sigh before staring intensely in his crimson eyes.

"You want some," Zelos offered, presenting the food in front of him.

Silence. Sheena said nothing. She only continued to stare at him with her violet, piercing orbs. With a swift motion of her hands, she popped the bottom of all the popcorn bags that were in Zelos' grasp, causing them to skyrocket into the sky above them. Zelos could only gape in astonishment as the popcorn he once held was snowing down upon his red head.

"Sheena! How could you?!" Zelos said offended. "Look at the mess you made!" Gesturing to the ground, "Now the ants are coming to eat the food. What a waste!" the red head stated.

"Better the ants get the food than you," Sheena replied with disdain, dusting off her hands. "Now how about you be a _real_gentleman for once and stay waiting out here for Lloyd and Genis so you can hand them there tickets, neh?" She cocked her head sideways at the command. The raven-haired then turned around, "Come on, Colette, let's go inside the theater, buy some more food, and reserve seats."

Colette, doing as she said, scurried toward Zelos and bowed, handing him two tickets, "Thank you, Zelos-senpai!" And then she continued her way to Sheena who had made it to the doorway.

And to their timing, Mithos, carrying a cardboard tray of drinks, opened the door and walked outside saying, "I finally bought the drinks."

"I'll be taking those," Sheena said, yanking away the sodas from him to his surprise.

"H-huh?" poor Mithos stammered, unknowing of what was happening.

"Mithos, you stay with Zelos and keep him company as he waits for Lloyd and Genis. Oh, and make sure he's being a _real_ gentleman at all times," the raven sophomore ordered, tapping him gently on the back.

Still confused, Mithos stuttered once more, "I-I'm going to do w-what?!"

Sheena didn't answer him back. She simply breezed through the open door. Colette, in contrast, bowed to him and said a final word before leaving, "Sheena and I are going to buy more food and save seats for everyone! Thank you for volunteering to help wait for Lloyd and Genis with Zelos."

Before Mithos could retort at the word 'volunteering', the door had shut and he was left standing outside.

"Oh, the mystery of girls," Zelos said, slinking an arm around Mithos' neck and leaning on him casually, "let me tell you about them. You see--" Zelos began, waving a hand around in the air.

As Zelos' explanation dragged on, the blond boy sighed deeply. Mithos had not been listening to Zelos' lecture on girls. He was too in depth in his self-pity. In his wallowing, Mithos thought, _"Lloyd… Genis… You two better come soon."_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"Uh, sorry, but, I have to go! Bye, Colette!" the silverette hastily said.

"Wait, Genis, don't--" hitting the end call button, he disconnected the phone line.

Genis thought with a sad expression, _"Sorry, Colette,"_ as he pocketed Lloyd's cell phone, keeping in mind to return it later in a less stressful moment.

Focusing on his friend now, Genis turned to Lloyd. The brunette never moved from the second they landed into the wall. His body was still limp, laying sprawled out on the cement floor. His eyelids were shut and his breathing was slow. Using his hand, Genis smacked his friend's cheek a couple times, "Damn, Lloyd, wake up already!" Sadly, Lloyd did not wake up. His body stayed motionless.

Shutting his eyes, Genis remembered his words to Colette, _"We're doing fine. Lloyd… well, he's just taking a 'nap' right now."_

Genis, re-opening them, exhaled deeply, blowing at his bangs, "Yeah, a nap indeed."

Truthfully, Genis knew his friend wasn't napping but was actually in an unconscious state. How he got into such a state? Well…

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"… Thanks, Colette…" Genis could hear Lloyd say behind him. The silverette didn't dare to look behind him though because he was too busy running, running from that same grudge filled junior with royal-blue hair.

A flight of stairs was just a few steps ahead, so, instinctively, Genis slowed his pace and began scaling down the stairs. However, due to being absorbed in his cell phone conversation, Lloyd failed to notice the stairs or Genis' lessening acceleration.

The brunette just continued to talk, "Just save us some sea--" he never finished the word 'seats' because of one wrong mistake; he wasn't paying attention to the drop from the stairs and felt weightless once more. Not anticipating the step downward, Lloyd slipped on the edge of the stair, leaning forward and screaming, "aaaahhhhhh!!"

Unable to stop himself, the brunette could only watch as his fingers lost their hold on his cell phone. The device began flying off elsewhere. His rag doll body begun spiraling forward uncontrollably like his cell phone. His hazel eyes widened as he bumped into Genis' figure, pushing him off balance as well.

"Uwaaahhh!!" Genis shrieked, hurling forward.

And before they both knew it, the two were tumbling down the flight of stairs together like a gigantic snowball rolling downhill during winter. Once they reached the bottom, they could only brace themselves as they slowed to a stop… thanks to a significantly placed brick wall.

Lloyd, this time, was the giving one, receiving the blunt of the wall head first, thus cushioning the blow for Genis.

_~ S.S.D ~_

Re-living that moment in his mind, Genis winced. His friend's hit to the head seemed just as bad as when they had their unscheduled landing. To make matters worse, he had to lie to Colette about the situation. He didn't want to worry Colette anymore than she was, so what was the harm of a little white lie? No harm, no foul.

The junior, on the other hand, was hurt immensely. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have been chasing Lloyd and Genis for the last ten minutes now would he? "Here, freshmeat, freshmeat! C'mere, boys!!" Genis heard the junior announce threateningly.

With his wits and exceptional hearing, Genis could detect how close their pursuer was. What he deduced was that the blue-haired was just a couple meters away from being by the top of the flight of stairs.

"_What misfortune," _Genis thought to himself as he gritted his teeth in panic. He needed to get Lloyd's knock-out self and himself somewhere out of that pursuer's line of sight and fast.

In his panic-stricken state, his sapphire eyes rebounded around the hall, searching desperately for any place, any possible place to hide from this man.

"I can smell that fear of yours nearby, _freshmeat_!" the junior said. His voice louder, and therefore he was much closer. In fact, the royal-blue haired man was close enough that he stepped forward a few steps aligning himself alongside the top of the stairs. "Here's, Decus!" he exclaimed with a terrorizing smile. Although, that smile soon changed into one of confusion after seeing the bottom of the stairs.

There lying at the bottom of the stairs was nothing but air. No Genis or Lloyd was in sight.

"What?" the man said to himself, walking down the stairs in a brisk manner. When he reached the bottom, he scanned the hall left and right. To his disbelief, there was no one in the hallway. "I swear I heard them right here… Hmph, you live for now, freshmeat," his final message as he walked away back up the stairs.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

From inside the locker room was a nerve-racked Genis, his body pressed on the double door entrance. Sliding down, he landed on his bottom, pulling his legs closer to him and resting his head onto his knees. He was so thankful that the junior did not spot him closing the double doors when he reached the bottom of the stairs. But in his efforts of dragging Lloyd by his arms into the gym locker room and being stealthy, he had tired himself out completely of whatever strength the little silverette had left.

Gazing toward his feet, Genis saw Lloyd's still unconscious self laying down on the tile floor. He saw his eyelids twitch for a split second, and, upon seeing that, Genis felt hopeful.

Genis, crawling over on his hands and knees to his friend, smacked Lloyd's cheeks once more, "Lloyd, wake up!"

A barely audible "Ugh" escaped Lloyd's lips, his eyelids twitching again.

Determined to awake his friend from his 'slumber', Genis grabbed onto Lloyd's wrists and began dragging him deeper into the gym locker room. The silver-haired stumbled slightly, weaving through the rows and rows of metal lockers before finally reaching the showers.

The silverette, pulling Lloyd, entered one of the shower stalls, passing through the shower curtain. Setting his friend underneath the shower head, Genis had to have Lloyd's body lean against the handle that adjusts the water flow, allowing him to prop himself up.

"Time for our sleepy-head to wake up," Genis proclaimed, turning the handle to 'Cold' water. And just as he did so, freezing cold water sprayed out of the shower head and onto the un-expecting head of Lloyd Irving.

"Cooolddd!!" bellowed Lloyd, immediately shooting upward from leaning on the handle and running outside of the stall, wanting to get away from any more droplets of water.

Back inside the shower stall, Genis stopped the flow of the water, turning the handle in the other opposite direction to the word 'Off'. Once doing so, he too stepped out of the showers and joined Lloyd who was thrashing his hair about by the sinks.

"Wh-what the hell, Genis?!" Lloyd yelled, spotting the silver-haired through the wet bangs that hung in his eyesight. "What kind of sick idea is this for you to spray me with cold water?!?!"

"I had to wake you up somehow," Genis simply put, shrugging. "You got knocked out after tumbling down the stairs, remember?"

Thinking on it, Lloyd did remember. He rubbed his soaked head in embarrassment. "I really suck at multi-tasking on the phone don't I?" he laughed.

Genis chuckled too, "You at least returned the favor though, using that idiotic head of yours to absorb the blow instead of mine."

"So that's how I blacked out… Makes sense," Lloyd said as he went to one of the sinks. With his hands, he wrung out water that lingered in the locks of his hair. "But what I don't get is how you managed to escape from that blue-haired guy, especially when you think about me being KO'd on the side."

"Well, for one, I had to drag your knocked-out self all the way here, and at the same time I had to risk the chance of being spotted by him. Thankfully, I was unseen when I dragged you over here and also when I shut the double doors," Genis explained, sitting down on a wooden bench.

"I gotta give you props for that, Genis! That's pretty awesome of you," praised Lloyd. He shook his head viciously like a dog, trying to rid his hair of any more water. "I bet if Sheena knew she'd be proud too."

"Heh, thanks, Lloyd," Genis said, accepting the comment. "Eh… Lloyd," he began to say, scanning about the locker room, "where are the urinals?"

Lloyd snickered, teasing him, "What? Don't tell me you were going to piss in your pants during all of this but you held it in, and now you need to let it all go?"

"W-what?!" Genis countered. "I'm talking about how there are no urinals in here at all! None what-so-ever."

Walking over to the silverette, Lloyd looked about, "I guess you're right; there is none. Guess you're going to have to stick with just toilets."

"No, I do not need to pee! I wasn't talking about that anyhow!" said Genis, shaking his head. "You don't get it do you, Lloyd? There are _no_ urinals and _only_ toilets, meaning…"

Lloyd paused for a moment, thinking. "They're replacing the old urinals and are switching them out for newer ones?" Lloyd said unsurely.

Smacking his own forehead, Genis said, "You really are an idiot." Proceeding to the brunette, Genis grabbed him by the collar and pulled him along. The silverette pushed open one of the double doors and exited the locker room, releasing his clutch on Lloyd's collar at the very second they reached the outside.

Both of them faced the double doors, waiting as the door they passed through closed shut. The signs on the doors finally were complete, forming the pink three word warning. The signs on the doors read 'Girls' Locker Room'.

Genis pointed to the sign, "There, see?"

In seeing this, Lloyd gawked, "The _Girls'_ Locker Room? Why'd you take us in there?!"

"I-I didn't know! The doors were completely opened, so there was no way I could see the signs. Besides, I was distressed! Where else could I go?" Genis said defensively.

"Well, I don't know… maybe the _Boy's_ Locker Room?!" fumed Lloyd.

Genis spewed his sarcasm, rolling his eyes, "Yeah, like I had the time to check which one was the boy's or the girl's… In any case, we should get going now. We have five minutes left before my paper's deadline." He whipped out Lloyd's cell phone and his own manila folder. "Here, I'd thought you might want this back," the silver-haired said, handing over the cell phone.

"Thanks for holding onto it, Genis. I thought it lost it back there," Lloyd gratified, placed his phone away in his pants. "Now, for one final run, let's go turn in that paper!"

The two freshmen began sprinting off once more to the Biology building.

What they didn't recognize in the process of all the excitement though was that one of Lloyd's belongings was lost and left behind. There in the girls' shower that they used was something glistening in a puddle of water. That something was a small blue spherical orb connected to a silver chain that had once hung around Lloyd's neck.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"On Valentine's Day last year, Sheena--"

Mithos yawned. It had been a good twenty-five minutes since Zelos had begun his rant on girls. He had explained everything relating to girls from his day of birth to his freshman year. Zelos was talking about girls, but, in actuality, it seemed like Zelos was talking about himself with the topic of girls being in a sub-category. With it being such a long lecture, the two teens sat on the curbside in front of the theater waiting.

"_And there goes twenty-five minutes of my life that I can't get back…" _Mithos pessimistically thought as he looked at his cell for the time. He sighed, _"I wonder what those two are doing to be this late."_

"There were these chocolates, the ones that come in these lovely, fancy packaging and is wrapped in a bow, well--"

"Shhh! Quiet," Mithos ordered, perking up his ears. "Did you hear that?"

"Huh, no. I was too busy explaining my story to hear a thing," Zelos admitted. He as well began listening.

Faintly, off in the distance, the two curbside teens heard two familiar voices.

"I can't believe I went through all that crap just so you can get _extra credit_!!"

"Hey, don't forget you were the one with the idea of 'Operation: Navigate the Ceiling Tiles' which caused that guy to chase us! Furthermore, that essay I did on meiosis versus mitosis had a lot of time and effort put into it. There is no way I'm going to let that go to waste!"

"That bickering… Could it be?" Zelos said.

Rising onto his feet, Mithos confirmed, "I-it is them! Lloyd and Genis are finally here!" He said smiling happily at his friends' arrival and gratefully at the marking of the end of Zelos' lecture on girls. Waving, he greeted them, "You guys, what took you so freakishly long?!"

"We had a bit of a detour," Lloyd said, reaching the two.

"Detour?" Zelos asked, getting off the curb and standing on his feet. "A detour that makes you an _hour_ late?"

"If you mean a detour caused by a royal-blue haired junior, chasing you around campus because you trespassed into their room, then yes," answered Genis. "Although, when I think about it, I don't see why a junior has a room in our freshmen 3-D dorm. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Whoa! A junior is in our dorm?" asked a stunned Mithos, mouth agape.

Lloyd and Genis nodded in response.

Only Zelos wasn't filled with awe or confusion. Actually, he found this entire moment all too funny and busted out into laughter. His sides soon hurt from laughing so loudly.

"What's so funny?" Genis asked forcefully, his eyebrows angled.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Zelos seized his laughter, "It seems to me the junior you ran into was Decus."

"Decus?" Mithos and Lloyd said simultaneously.

"Hmmm… Decus, yeah that is him!" Genis clarified, nodding. "I remember him shouting his name when Lloyd was unconscious."

"Yeah, Decus; he's a popular junior and a part of Symphonia's Student Council as their Secretary. With a high status like that he can basically do whatever he pleases on campus. That's how he got a freshman room, using special consent," Zelos explained. "However, I doubt that's his actual room. Probably is just using it for storage."

"Uh-huh, using it for 'storage'," Genis repeated, making finger air quotes as he said 'storage'.

"More like psycho Lady Alice shrine to be more exact!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"Lady Alice shrine? He still has that massive crush on her, huh?" Zelos asked to no one in particular.

"You know her too, Zelos?" Mithos said, appalled.

"Of course! When you live in the life of the rich and famous you tend to know everyone," Zelos replied, and then continued, "Alice is also a popular junior and a part of our Student Council but with a higher position than Decus. She's the big V.P. - the Vice President."

"Wow, she must be quite the leader then," said Genis.

Zelos, waving a hand about, "Eh… You could say that if you'd like."

"Well, whoever they are, they can't be as frightening as Friday Fright Night movies, right?!" yelled Lloyd, fist pumped into the darkened sky.

"You said it!" Genis agreed, pumping his own fist into the air.

The four teens finally ended their conversation and entered the theater, ready to watch the horror movie marathon.

* * *

_**~ Intermission II ~**_

* * *

You'd think that by now things would have started to become smoother for Lloyd Irving and Genius Sage; that they'd enjoyed the movie marathon with the entire gang, that they slept pleasantly through the night and late into the morning, that they'd wake up to a bright morning and cloudless sky ready for a peaceful day of fun.

However, as stated prior, their dreams of a good weekend would be a 'lost' cause.

"Phhfftt! Why mush I beh the one ta baby-set sush trwoublesome vermin," spat Magnius as he walked through the class door. His speech was quite obviously slurred beyond belief. When the man walked he seemed to be off balance, having trouble standing. Reaching the teacher's desk, he slammed both of his hands down, yelling, "Alwight, lesh get thes straight. No pullin' aneh shet awound weth meh, ya hur? Yah stay in yah seats and stay quihet. I bettah not hur a swingle peep outta ya vermin!!" With his final word said, he plopped down into the swivel chair.

In Magnius' Composition & Public Speaking class was where Saturday detention was being held. And like the caring professor he is, Magnius came in drunk. The unlucky bunch of students who had Saturday detention knew they were going to have it bad because of his drunken state. Well, not really a 'bunch' of students, more like a couple; Lloyd and Genis to be specific.

The two sat in the first row by the teacher's desk, and their faces scrunched up in disgust at their professor. They could smell the strong scent of liquor that escaped the dreadlocked man from their desks.

With a hand over his nose, Genis whispered in a nasally voice, "I still blame you for this."

"Me?" said an astonished Lloyd, his shirt covering his nose. "It was all you and your damn extra credit's fault!"

"Whaddya say, vermin?!" shouted a drunken Magnius. "I sed no tahlken'!!"

Reality-wise, it was neither of their faults that they were in such a scenario. Like the great words of a famous Symphonian philosopher once always said, 'Blame your fate and not those around you'.

_~ S.S.D ~_

At midnight after Friday Fright Night at the movies, the entire gang had finished the movie marathon and exited the theater with the guys parting ways with the girls once they got outside. The guys were intending to hang out a little while longer in front of the theater, but, as for the girls, they wanted to go to sleep.

"See, guys? Like I said, this Decus and Alice are no where near scary compared to the hardcore, classic horror flicks," Lloyd exclaimed, energetic.

"I'm sorry," spoke an unfamiliar, feminine voice from behind. "Did you say Decus and Alice are no where near scary?"

Spinning around, the boys saw two Symphonian uniforms before them; both wearing the badge of a junior. It didn't take Lloyd and Genis long to know who those two students were standing there. It was _the_Decus and _the_Alice that Zelos had spoken of.

Frankly, both older teens were down right scary, especially as they stood a mere foot away from their faces.

The girl, Alice, was the spitting image of the one in Decus' shrine. She wore that same white cap with pink ribbons framing her face. She had the same bleach-blond haircut down to her shoulders. And lastly, she had that look in her yellow-orange eyes of hostility and her smile was just as intimidating. Worse thing about it all was that this Alice wasn't a cardboard cut-out but a _real-life human_.

The two, Genis and Lloyd, shuddered seeing the real her; her presence too great for them to handle.

Continuing where she left off, Alice beckoned a hand across her cheek, "I don't know if I should accept that as a compliment or an insult." Her daunting smile never left her face as she spoke.

"Even though, I do know one thing for certain… You two have committed the crimes of breaking and entering as well as vandalism. With my supremacy as Vice President of Symphonia, I hereby sentence you both to Saturday detention!" cried Alice, her finger pointing in the direction of Lloyd and Genis.

The two freshmen could only gulp and tremble at her verdict.

"Heheh. Told you you'd both pay," Decus said with crossed arms and a arrogant smile.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Yes, nothing _but _their fate. A fate of being in the wrong place, wrong time is what lead them both into having some quality time with the intoxicated Magnius. Although, both teens were not enjoying such a time. Magnius, on the other hand, did appear pretty lively for once.

"And I sez to teh guy, 'Ya confuzin' yar use of verbz weth incorrect onez and yar punctuashionz are wrong too!' Guess whet he tellz meh in rehturn… He sez to meh, 'Yar nothen but a Grammar Desian!' Can ya belweve that?" Magnius said, informing the two youths sitting before him about a time when he first started teaching.

As Magnius continued his story, Lloyd whipped out of his pocket a small cylindrical vial filled with a blurry yellowish-red liquid, holding it underneath his desk. Using his finger, he tapped at the vial gently.

"What do you think your doing, Lloyd?" Genis questioned in a whisper, watching the brunette shaking the contents of the vial.

"I'm freeing us out of this place," the elder replied softly. He now stopped shaking the vial, letting the contents settle again.

Stammering, Genis said, "Fr-free us?"

Genis could not have asked Lloyd a clearer question because Magnius had stood up from his chair and made his way over, waddling in between Genis' and Lloyd's desks.

"Now, now. Whet hab we hur?" Magnius asked, spotting Lloyd's vial. Eyeing the boy, he commanded, "Hand et ober, vermin!"

For only a brief moment, Genis saw his friend grin, a grin that screamed 'Bingo!' written on his face. Immediately, Genis knew something was up.

"Uh, Professor Magnius, please! This is my prized vial; I can't part with it!" Lloyd said, bringing it forth for Magnius to see. "You must understand--"

"Yah, I understand… I see ya hab a good liquid in yuh handz!" Magnius stated, swiping the vial out of Lloyd's hand.

"Professor, don't!" cried Lloyd, his arms reaching forward to grab his bottle.

"Nuh-uh!" Magnius denied his attempts at retrieving the vial. "Ya hab tah tell meh whatz in teh thing. Then maybeh I'll reconsiduh."

Taking a pause, Lloyd answered, "It's Dwarven liquor."

"Dwaben Wiquor? I haben't had thet kinda beberage buhfor."

Lloyd explained, "That's because it's _Dwarven _liquor. Because of the few remaining Dwarves alive, there are only handfuls that know the recipe on how to make it. So it's a rarity and an honor to have one." He boasted proudly with a goofy smile.

"Huh, weally, vermin?"

"Yeah," replied Lloyd, enthusiastic, "my father's a dwarf and taught me the recipe."

"If thetz the case… then I can't gib thes back tuh ya aftuh all!!" Magnius said, walking back and sitting in his chair, vial in hand.

"But, Professor Magnius--" Lloyd tried but was interrupted.

"I guess I'll jus hab ta make shur thet this liquid iz safe for ya." The dreadlocked man twisted off the cap. "Down teh hatsh!!" cocking back his head, Magnius chugged it completely with one gulp. When he finished, his eyes shut and his head dropped considerably, falling onto the wooden table face down. The vial that was once in his large, callused hands rolled out of his hold and onto the table.

"Oh, my Martel!" Genis screamed, standing up in his seat. "What did you just do to Professor Magnius?!" His sapphire eyes were filled with shock and nervousness.

Getting out of his seat and walking over to the professor's desk, Lloyd picked up his vial, "I just gave him a dose of my homemade concoction."

"And just what is this homemade concoction?!" Genis said, walking over to Lloyd.

"I made it during Alchemy this week in Professor Abyssion's class. It's just a little knock-out juice, so don't panic. He's going to be fine."

"Wait a sec, you made that during Alchemy? So that's what you were doing that day! No wonder you were so mischievous!"

"Better to do something productive for my own self once in a while, you know?" Lloyd stated, making his way to the classroom door. Trying to open it, he cursed, finding it locked, "Shoot, it's locked from the inside too. We'll have to escape the hard way then."

Taken back, Genis said, "W-whoa, y-you were serious about what you said?"

"Serious by one-hundred percent," the brunette said, stepping on top of a student desk. Reaching for the ceiling, he pushed away a ceiling tile using his hands and pulled himself up into the dark abyss. Poking his head back down the hole, "Come on, Genis! You still owe me that favor!"

"Ugh," Genis groaned, hating the situation at the moment. He walked over to the same student desk and climbed on top, "Fine, but after today, no more 'Operation: Navigate the Ceiling Tiles', you hear?!"

"Okay, okay. Just hurry up!"

Extending his arms, Genis grabbed hold of the opening and hoisted himself up, crawling into another escapade filled with Lloyd's antics.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"No, Lloyd! Nuh-uh! This is where I draw the line!" Genis said, crossing his arms and head hung high at his words.

"Genis! You owe me, and I'm calling that favor now!" hollered back the brunette. "I helped you turn in that extra credit report. So by just doing this, you return that favor."

"Well, this situation is _much_ different!"

Lloyd sighed, rubbing the back of his neck in distress. With a solemn, pleading voice, "C'mon, please, Genis? It's really important!"

"Important enough to go back inside the Girls' Locker Room," retorted Genis, "when all the women's sports teams are having tryouts?!"

The two teens had escaped Magnius' room after crawling onto the ceiling tiles. After dropping back down in the hallways, they made their way, as stealthily as possible, across campus and now were located in the athletics department; in front of the Girls' Locker Room to be precise.

In response, Lloyd couldn't say a word. He could only nod meekly at what he wanted his friend to do.

Genis scoffed, shaking his head, "I'm starting to wonder if Zelos' pervertedness has rubbed off on you after all these weeks of living with him. Sorry, Lloyd, but I can't do this." The silverette began turning around, intending to walk off back to detention.

"Wait!" Lloyd instructed him, desperation seeping into his voice. "If you do this for me, I'll stop copying your homework for an entire month!" His hands clapped together as he begged.

The silver-haired stopped in his tracks, halfway turning to face Lloyd. "Why are you so desperate for _my _help? Why not get Zelos to do this? I'm sure he'd love this," he said, rolling his eyes at the mentioning of Zelos' name.

"Because you're my best friend, Genis. I can count on you for anything, no matter what it is!" Lloyd explained honestly. "Besides, Zelos would just laugh if I had told him I needed to get back my necklace. He'd probably say something like, 'Just buy a new one instead. That necklace was just measly and old anyway'."

"A measly, old necklace, huh?" Genis repeated, closing his eyes, thinking. _"So that's what this is all for…"_ When he opened them, he said, "I'll do it."

Showered in disbelief and bewilderment at his words, Lloyd stammered, "R-really?"

"You heard me; I said I'll do it… that is if you keep your end of the deal," the silverette smiled haughtily.

Lloyd grinned, grateful, "Thanks, Genis."

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Inside the Girls' Locker Room were lots and lots of steam and puddles of water. The girls had just finished sports tryouts for the day and were taking showers, cleaning themselves up after all that exercise. Sheena was one of those girls.

"Oooh~" Sheena sang from in one of the showers. "There are so many different stores in the mall I want to show you, Colette! I'm sure you'd love the variety!"

From the wooden bench sat Colette. She had not tried-out for a sports team but simply was waiting for Sheena to finish up her tryouts. They obviously seemed to have a shopping date today between the two of them.

"I bet I would, Sheena-senpai!" she replied, chuckling lightly.

"Heheh. Yeah, there's Icy Topic, Mango Monarchy, Dry Walrus, Terrapostal--"

A blood curling shriek disrupted Sheena's listing of stores, "EEEYYAAAAAAHHH!!!"

All the girls in the locker room jumped up in alarm, attentive upon hearing the scream.

"What was that?" Sheena wrapped in a towel said, stepping out of the showers. Her hair and body still soaked in water.

Standing up from her seat, Colette concluded, "That sounded like someone got hurt."

At the thought, all the girls in the showers wrapped themselves in a towel and joined Colette and Sheena as they proceeded out of the locker room. Once outside, they noticed a boy writhing up in a ball by the bottom of the staircase. Pain was written all over his scrunched up face as he held tightly onto his leg and rocked around on the pavement. That boy to Colette and Sheena was no stranger; he was in fact a very close friend.

"Genis?!" Sheena and Colette exclaimed simultaneously; both concerned.

Rushing to his side, the two as well as the athletes in towels swarmed around him.

"How'd you get hurt?!" Colette asked, placing a hand onto his shoulder comfortingly.

Feebly, Genis uttered with clenched teeth, "I-I f-fell down the st-stairs a-and hurt my a-ankle." He winced, grasping onto his ankle even more, trying to lessen the pain.

"You klutz!" Sheena yelled in almost a sisterly kind of tone. "You of all people should be more careful. You're just as bad as Colette now."

Hearing that, Colette gave Sheena a hurt and confused look.

"N-no offense of course, Colette," the raven-haired sophomore apologized with a sorrowful smile.

Colette, shaking it off, said, "I'll go get the first-aid kit in the locker room. Watch over him while I'm gone, Sheena-senpai." She rose to her feet and swiftly made her way back into the locker room.

Sheena, turning her attention to Genis, leaned in closer to him, "It's going to be okay, Genis. I won't leave your side." The crowd surrounding the silverette did the same; they all scooted in closer to see.

However, all this attention was what Genis _didn't_ want.

As they kept coming closer, Genis could swear his pulse rate was exceeding the normal rate, and he could feel his cheeks beginning to flare a red hue. His sapphire eyes widened more and more at the sight of all the soaking wet girls wearing nothing but a single white cloth. Their wet hair slinked around their neck, shoulders, and back. Their perfectly shaped bodies glistened in the sunlight. Their young faces were pursed in worry. And all of it was just for _him_. The worst thing about it though was the fact that he was slightly enjoying the scene. He cursed at himself for being so perverted like Zelos.

Unable to handle the constant attention and the beautiful sight, Genis croaked out, shutting his eyes, "Ahhh! … I-it hurts so bad…" He twisted his body so that his face was buried into the pavement, ensuring the end of seeing the half-nude girls.

"You poor little boy!" he heard them say.

Genis blushed profusely at the thought of their expressions as they said that. In his mind he swore, _"Damn, Lloyd and his stupid plans… You better hurry up in there, you idiot! I don't know how longer I can keep this charade up…"_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"First aid kit, first aid kit, first aid kit," Colette said to herself as she scanned around the professors' area in the locker rooms. Spotting the white box on one of their desks, Colette picked it up and walked out of the room.

As she walked out, the blond veered to the exit but saw something in the corner of her eye. A blur of red flashed by and entered the first shower.

Puzzled, Colette stopped herself and hesitantly walked over to where the blur went.

"H-hello?" the blond asked aloud in front of the shower curtain.

Hearing nothing, she outstretched a hand to push away the curtain, but in doing so, a hand emerged from inside the stall. It grabbed onto her own hand and pulled her violently into the shower. Colette would have screamed, although another hand covered her mouth, muffling any sound that tried to escape her lips. She, being afraid, closed her eyes, hoping that whatever may happen to her would happen fast and painlessly.

For a few seconds, there was nothing; no pain, no threatening voice, no anything. Gaining back her courage, she opened her eyes again and was instantly stunned at the person before her.

Pulling away from his hand, Colette cried, "Lloyd?!"

"Shhh!" the brunette commanded, pressing his hand back on her mouth. "Quiet, Colette."

She removed his hand, whispering, "What are you doing here?!"

"… I came back to get something," answered Lloyd tentatively.

"How did it get in here, the Girls' Locker Room?!"

"It's a long story. I'll explain it to you later, okay? Just promise me you won't rat me out for being in the Girls' Locker Room… Please, Colette?" pleaded Lloyd with beady eyes and a puppy-like face.

"Colette, where are you?! Genis needs that first aid kit!" they heard Sheena call.

Making her decision, Colette said, "I won't tell, but don't forget to explain to me alright! I deserve to know." She pushed aside the shower curtain, running back to Genis.

"Thanks, Colette," Lloyd softly yelled as she left, grinning goofily.

Once Colette got back to Genis, she sat down next to him. From the first aid kit she took out the gauze-wrap and used the material to wrap around his ankle.

"There!" she announced when she was finished. "You're going to have to go to the informatory though and get that ankle checked. You might need to get it treated further." The blond winked at Genis as if telling him she knew he was faking.

Smiling, Genis said, "Thank you, Colette. But I think what you've done has healed me enough." He returned her wink with one of his own. Slowly rising to his feet, Genis continued, "And a thank you to you too, Sheena and everyone." The silverette bowed and he waved, "Good-bye!" Then he ran off back up the stairs as fast as his short, un-athletic legs could.

Shocked at such a quick recovery, the athletes and Sheena had dropped jaws watching Genis run off.

"H-how the heck can he run up those stairs?! I-I thought he was severely injured!" Sheena stammered, confusion depicted on her face.

Colette could only laugh in response. "C'mon, Sheena-senpai! Hurry and dress up already. We still have a lot of stores ahead of us," Colette said, walking back into the locker room.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Later on that Saturday night, Colette had dropped off all the bags of clothing she had bought with Sheena at the mall, leaving them at their dorm room. By 7 o'clock p.m., she left Sheena and made her way atop her girl's dorm roof.

There on the rooftop, leaning on the railings and watching the night sky above him, was Lloyd Irving.

Walking next to him, Colette spoke, "So what were you and Genis up to all along? You both have been acting pretty weird for the past few days." She joined him in his star-gazing.

Lloyd, breaking out of his trance, replied, "Oh, I see you got my text to meet me… Are you sure you want to listen? I mean, it is a long story like I said."

"I've got time," Colette said, "and I'm willing to listen."

Taking a deep breath, Lloyd begun his explanation, "Well, on Friday, me and Genis had to deliver his extra credit report to Professor Kvar. But we kind of gotten mixed up with a junior and he chased us around campus for a while. You remember back when you called us don't you?"

Colette nodded quietly.

"Yeah, well, that other guy yelling was him. And the reason why I screamed through the phone was because I wasn't paying attention and tripped down the stairs. I bumped into Genis on the way and we began rolling down until my head collided into a wall, then after that I blacked out."

Gasping, Colette covered her mouth, "T-that's terrible… Why didn't you tell us this? We would've understood that you late because of something like that!"

Lloyd shrugged. "We didn't want to worry any one… Anyways, being the witty kid that he is, Genis towed me to a safe place so we could hide from that junior guy. And that place just so happened to be the Girls' Locker Room. Since I was practically knocked-out, Genis did what he could to wake me up by spraying me with cold water from the showers… Although, in the process of waking up, I guess my necklace gotten snagged onto the handle and broke off my neck." As he said that, Lloyd pulled out a broken chain. Connected to that broken chain was the small spherical blue orb. "So that's my story of why I was in the locker room with Genis as my decoy… I'm sorry if it angered you." He rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, that explains a lot of things," Colette whispered to herself. "And, Lloyd, I'm not angry… I was before, but now, knowing the truth, I'm just glad you got your necklace back… It's the one your mother left you, right?"

Lloyd answered, still holding onto his necklace in hand. "Yeah…"

"Then you're forgiven."

"H-huh? B-but all the things we did to get this was wrong, so how can you forgive me so quickly?" Lloyd asked.

"That's because it's a necklace of yours that you cherish dearly. It's your mother's gift to you, and I can see why you and Genis would go through all that trouble, despite how wrong it may be, to get it back at all costs… With that in mind, I know I can forgive you without a doubt," Colette flashed him one of her well-known acute smiles. "Just make sure to not lose it anymore, okay?"

Seeing her smile, he began smiling too. "Thank you, Colette. And I definitely won't!" His attention returned back to his necklace.

Staring at it keenly and gripping it tightly, Lloyd thought with a determined face, _"No, I won't lose it… I don't want to have to go through loosing you again, Mom…"_

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**Author's Note Time!**

To any soul that has read through every single word of this, I dub thee the title of 'Faithful Reader'. And to those that are reviewing all of this, 'Faithful Reviewer'. You all are awesome people for doing so! xD

And I'd like to especially give **major credit to tiger002** for the ideas of Lloyd's idea of traversing the ceiling tiles and the idea of them crashing into a wall and knocking them out. Thank you so much for letting me use those ideas, Tiger! They helped me out of my writer's block greatly, and I hoped I lived up to your expectations and gave your ideas life. Stay awesome, man! ;3 So if you really enjoyed those scenes, thank tiger002. He's the one who came up with it.

Even though this chapter is freakishly long, I'd rather not blabber on about it too much. I just want to say a few things like: One, I never beat Dawn of the New World, so I don't know Alice's and Decus' characters all too much. Two, I was experimenting with the multiple 'refering to the past' moments, so I apologize for the weird scene switches. Three, I got somewhat serious with Lloyd's necklace memento of his mother at the end out of no where, I know, but that was originally my ideal ending/revelation to begin with. And lastly four, the title _'To Lose Is To Lose Again?'_ comes from Genis losing his ID first and then leading up to Lloyd losing his necklace, but it can also be interpreted as Lloyd loosing his necklace and therefore 'lost' Anna again because she was already deceased and gone or 'lost' from Lloyd's life.

For those of you who'd like a little of a challenge, how many of you knew what the stores that Sheena was listing were actually based off of? For those who don't remember, Sheena said, "Icy Topic, Mango Monarchy, Dry Walrus, Terrapostal." If you know the actual stores that I based them off please tell me in a review, I'd like to know and give props to you guys for understanding my little Cwister-Twisters. xD (Lame riddle name, I know! But hell, that's me. Looking for ways to make a pun at any moment.) It'll be like a little riddle thing as you wait for the next chapter. :D (They are pretty famous stores, so that should help I hope...)

With that said, please submit those reviews that you kindly thought out and typed for me! Reviews are my motivation on posting the next chapter! ;3

**Preview:**

Next time on Symphonian School Days…

Another week has passed and it's now the forth week of classes for Lloyd and the gang. The summer heat is seeping in early to the dismay of many students, and with that summer heat comes a surprise to many people… A transfer student is entering the academy. Just who could this student be?!

Find out in the next chapter, _'Tumbling Into Apathy & Transfers'_!

Sayonara~ :3


	6. Tumbling Into Apathy & Transfers

Grrr... Darn, groundhog... Apparently the groundhog has declared 6 more weeks of winter. Woopie. Dx Don't get me wrong I love winter and all, but it kind of gets boring to get the same cold weather over and over again. Even as I typed this chapter, my hands became freakishly cold to the point of resorting to gloves. Brrr! So I hope that the groundhog's wrong.

Major kudos to Serena_Anges and kikkiclow88 for getting 3 out of the 4 stores right from the last chapter, by the way! Awesome job for understanding my riddles. ;D You both got Icy Topic which is Hot Topic, Mango Monarchy which is Banana Republic, and Terrapostal which is Aeropostale. But none of you got Dry Walrus shockingly. I thought Mango Monarchy was going to be the hardest but I guess not. Anyways, the final one, Dry Walrus, is actually Wet Seal. So if you did end up knowing any of those, you derserve a pat on the back. :]

Here's Chapter 6, everyone! Enjoy! :D

**Disclaimer: **Symphonia = Namco Bandai's. Nothing = Me. I bet no one saw that coming… End sarcasm, begin Chapter 6!

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_**Ch. 6: Tumbling Into Apathy & Transfers**_

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**[Monday]**

The morning sun of the forth week of school was a relentless one. Its scorching rays beat down on the academy and its grassy fields, lighting up every nook and cranny in sight. Those who had Monday Artes class had it bad. The sun intensified every hour and it wasn't going to let up. Nor were there any clouds in the sky that were going to shield the students from the burning sun.

"Come on, focus on your mana flow!" commanded Professor Kratos, pacing the field. "It's key if you expect to master artes!" His crimson-brown eyes scanned each of his pupils, looking for any faults. Seeing a slacking brunette, Kratos yelled, "Lloyd Irving, watch your posture! Your mana running through you is jagged and isn't flowing properly. You must straighten that posture and put more effort into it!"

Lloyd was exhausted, especially after Yuan's stamina exercises to increase reflexes and overall endurance. His entire body was soaked in his own sweat and his usual spiky hair was now wet, slumping down into his line of vision. His mouth was dry, yearning for some water but only got the distasteful droplets of sweat trickling down his face. The pain was starting to become intense and he could feel the burning in his muscles. He didn't think he could survive the rest of Kratos' mana drills.

"_Damn… Why is he so tough on me?! I'm doing much better than the rest of the people out here! Can't he just give me a break?!" _Lloyd thought exasperatedly, his breathing heavy and short.

He couldn't think of why Professor Kratos was pushing him so hard in the morning. It might've been the heat getting to that auburn head of his. But ever since the first day, he had always been making Lloyd reach his limits. _"Just what is he trying to do and prove?"_

"Alright, let's all take a five minute water break. Get hydrated and then get back here stat!" Kratos announced.

Hearing his words, Lloyd immediately let his body fall into the soft grass below his feet. A cry of relief escaped his mouth as he laid in comfort, "Finally!~" He stretched his body out fully while laying on his back, not caring about the heat from the sun.

Even if it was the cause of all his excess sweat, he stared up at the sun. It was majestically floating alone in the sky and bright as ever. He had to shield his eyes from it with his arm to prevent himself from going blind. To his luck though, a figure stood in front of the sunlight and held out a bottle of water to him.

Lloyd rose slightly and repositioned himself to sit casually instead. He grabbed the water bottle, twisted off the cap, and gulped down several mouthfuls of water gratefully, "Thanks, Colette. I really needed it."

"You're welcome," Colette replied with a benevolent smile, sitting next to him on the grass. She looked up into the vast and cloudless sky, "Wow, the sun's really bright today, huh?"

"It's about to be summer soon, so it's not surprising it would get this hot," Lloyd stated as he laid back down in the grass. His gaze ran from the long grass all way up to one of the academy building walls. "The people inside right now are seriously lucky bastards." His hazel eyes closed, apparent he wanted to fall asleep.

"_Man, I wish I could be inside with them… I could easily fall asleep in an air conditioned room and a book in front of my face."_

"Irving and Brunel! Get over here, class isn't over yet!" called Professor Kratos. Lloyd, hearing the professor's voice, shot open his eyes.

"Yes, Professor!" Colette answered the superior. Turning to Lloyd, she ordered, "Let's go, Lloyd. We don't want him to get mad." She stood up from where she sat and held out a hand to him to help him get up as well.

"_So long, relaxation…"_ Lloyd thought as he held out his hand and grabbed Colette's. Her cheeks tingled red at his touch, but Lloyd didn't think much of it. He simply assumed that she was just tired and exhausted.

By the time he rose to his feet, Colette jerked his arm, pulling Lloyd behind her as she cheerfully ran in front. Shockingly, she was running quite fast, and he even stumbled trying to keep up. _"Just where does she store this extra amount of energy?"_

Before he could list some possibilities, Colette began tumbling downward drastically in front of him, and he was pulled down in the process due to their arms still linked together. He immediately shut his eyes and clenched his teeth, afraid of another rock impact to the head.

A _Thud!_ erupted from the ground and blades of grass fluttered into the air. To his surprise, he felt no pain. Thinking it was alright now, Lloyd slowly fluttered opened his eyes again.

There in front of him was Colette's stunned face staring back at him. Both of their faces instantly became flustered, and their cheeks turned rosy-red at being in such a close proximity. Despite Lloyd being able to prevent himself from crushing Colette, he found himself in an awkward position instead. Both of his legs were spread apart and so were his arms to break his fall, and in-between them was Colette's fragile figure.

At the thought of being so close to her vulnerable body, his heart started to beat rapidly as if he was still doing one of Kratos' mana exercises. Lloyd didn't understand. He wasn't doing anything to increase his heart rate, but a simple fall with Colette left him just as shaken up.

Uncomfortable, Lloyd immediately rose off of Colette's sprawled out figure and stood casually, rubbing the back of his head all the while.

Colette, now free, rose as well to her feet. She avoided his gaze by brushing off any stray blades of grass on her gym shorts and shirt. At the same time, she took the moment to remove the ever noticeable blush on her face.

"You dork! How could you be so clumsy and fall randomly like that all of a sudden?" Lloyd managed to say as he calmed his heart.

"W-well, y-you see! U-um…" Colette stuttered out, clearly failing to keep a stable voice like Lloyd. She ended up simply pointing to an object behind him.

The object she pointed to was a water bottle. Now though it was crushed into and broken due to Colette's clumsiness. All the water that was inside had trickled out onto the grass; the liquid glistening under the sunlight.

Colette continued her explanation, "I-I ended up running over that bottle and slipped forward, loosing my balance. Since I was still holding onto your arm, I ended up pulling you down with me. I-I'm sorry!"

Playfully, Lloyd laughed, "You dork. One day we'll just have to find a cure for that clumsiness of yours, Colette!" His signature goofy grin grew on his face.

"Y-yeah…" she stuttered back.

"Must I have to tell you two to stop the foolery?!" yelled an annoyed, auburn-haired professor.

"Coming!" the two teens said in unison, both running toward the waiting class.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Meanwhile, inside the cool air conditioned classrooms of the academy, students were busy learning and listening to their professors as they spoke and presented their lesson of the day. But for a certain Monday Composition & Public Speaking class, they were to have a slight surprise instead…

"As you all know, it's Monday. That means your paragraph of the world is due today, and you all will be presenting them in front of the class. The paragraph portion as stated last week is seventy-five percent of your total grade while your efficiency of projecting to the class will be twenty-five. So as long as you did do the writing portion, you pass," informed a red, dread-locked man.

One of his students, a silver-haired teen, shot up their hand, wanting to volunteer and be first. _"Come on, pick me! I want to get this over with and go first!"_ the boy eagerly thought.

"But before we do that, I have a surprise announcement," the professor said, shooting down the attempt at volunteering.

The man rose from his teacher's chair and walked in front of his long desk. "Today, we have another vermin--" he quickly corrected himself with the shake of the head, "I mean, student joining our Composition and Public Speaking class. It was a last minute decision by Head Mistress Pronyma, but we are glad to have this opportunity to welcome her here."

As if on queue, the sliding door of the class opened, and in came a petite young girl with bright, pink bubble-gum hair that was tied into two pig-tails. The girl carried two huge, bulky bags on each shoulder, and a rolling luggage case was rolling behind her as she walked, gracefully making her way over to where the professor stood facing the class.

Genis was completely dumbfounded from the moment she had gone through the door. He didn't know why, but he was so hypnotized and mesmerized by her appearance. It drove his thoughts wild thinking about her.

"_She's so… pretty,"_ he thought with his jaw dropping.

"Class, I present to you," the professor motioned his hands to the girl standing beside him, "Presea Combatir."

The girl, Presea, bowed to the students, "Thank you for welcoming me, everyone. And thank you, Professor Magnius." Her voice was android-like, monotone to the very last word.

"Yeah, yeah, just get going to your seat in the second row by the window. We need to start presenting now or else we won't be able to finish. I hate unfinished business," Professor Magnius said whining as he went back to his seat.

Presea, obeying his command, walked to her window seat and sat down, setting her large bags next to her seat. Her posture was elegant, her back was straight, her legs were crossed, and her hands gently rested in her lap. She truly had an essence of maturity. The rays of sunlight that came through the window illuminated around her figure, making her look heavenly like a Goddess. To Genis though, Presea _was_ a Goddess. Her beauty sparked even more underneath such a vivid light, and he found himself unable to look away from her.

"_Presea Combatir, huh?" _A small smile grew on his face and so did a faint blush.

"Hey, Sage!"

The silverette, absorbed in thought, didn't listen. He kept on his trail of thought, _"I wonder where she transferred from… Palmacosta, possibly?"_

"Genius Sage! Are you listening?!"

"_No, that can't be it. She seems too prestige for a small academy like Palmacosta's… Can it be Sybak?"_

"For the love of Martel… Vermin, answer me when I call you!!!"

Erupted from his thoughts, Genis mumbled out in confusion, "H-huh?! W-what? Who, me?!" His hand was pointing to himself.

Annoyed, Magnius sarcastically said, "Nah! I'm talking about the _other_ Genius Sage in this class! Now get up to the front and present your speech already. You volunteered at the start of class did you not?!"

His classmates around him started snickering and giggling at his embarrassment.

"_Crap! I seriously forgot about that…"_ Genis thought, mentally smacking himself in the head. He rose from his seat and casually walked up to the front. His paper dangled loosely in his hands.

Once he got to the front, he pulled his paper before his face, prepared to speak. But no words came from his mouth. It was really and truly out of the ordinary; Genis had never struggled with an assignment. _Never_. He would always give one-hundred percent in his work no matter what it was. He didn't allow for any faults to be in his work, or else it would cost him perfection. Although the opposite was happening now, Genis was letting himself slip and fall hard.

"Sage!" yelled Magnius. "Don't make me make deductions already."

Genis gulped and took one last deep breath before taking the plunge, "Y-Yggdrasill, t-the h-he-hero, b-brought ab-about the e-end o-of the Ancient W-Wa-War i-in the H-Holy Gr-Ground of Kha-Kharlan, our m-moon…"

"… _Oh, Goddess… I'm a stuttering wreck!"_ Genis thought as he died a little inside.

"Stop stuttering. Your words must be firm and project outward when you speak. For instance," Professor Magnius took a breath, "YOU VERMIN HAVE TO WORK HARD!!!" Those few words lead to all his students jumping up in their seats, wide-eyed in shock. On the other hand for poor, unlucky Genis, who was standing right in front of the man, could've sworn he had gone deaf. After finishing such an explosive example, Magnius simply took a sip of coffee from his mug and his tone of voice changed back to a calm and collected one. "See? Just like that."

In Genis' dismay, his professor's advice didn't help. He already knew about speaking firmly and projection. It just was that he needed to find the cause of his stuttering and fix it. His gaze traveled from his paper and toward the class. Their bored and tired stares were fixated at him, waiting for him to finish. No, it wasn't all of them but one person among them.

"… _Her…" _His quick, analytic sapphire eyes picked out the person.

Presea Combatir. She was the cause for his embarrassment. Ever since he stood up from his seat, he could feel a certain presence watching him with curiosity, and it was her. Her crisp, azure eyes were blank and lifeless, but even so, Genis felt as if he was burning up from her gaze more than the sun could ever do.

Regardless of finding the cause, he couldn't do anything about it. In fact, it made him feel worse knowing she was watching him. With his stomach churning even more, Genis continued his speech, "Af-afterwards, Y-Y-Yggdrasill f-fo-ormed a p-pa-pact w-with t-the G-Goddess M-Martel. H-he--"

"Alright, alright. I think you suffered enough, Sage," Magnius interrupted with a sigh. "And I think we all suffered from enough listening to stuttering for one day as well. Just hand over your essay."

Genis handed over his paper, not even bothering to ask for a second chance. His head was hung low, downcast at his failure.

Magnius swiftly read it over and wrote a grade on it, "My Goddess, Sage. I have to admit, your speaking skills may be down right terrible, but your composition skills are by far the best I've seen! A well done description of the hero that brought peace to our world. It's a shame that I still have to give you a seventy-five though. Maybe next time my example will be marinated more into your puny brain."

Gloomy and defeated, Genis dragged himself back to his seat, trying to avoid meeting a certain pink-hair's line of sight all the while.

When he reached his desk, he immediately buried his head into his arms that rested on the desk. His thoughts were going hay-wire at his failure, _"Seventy-five? … Seventy-five?! … Raine's going to give me the _punishment_, isn't she? …" _A heavy sigh escaped his lips. _"Next time, I gotta learn to let go of the genius' spot and let someone else go first…"_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"Alright, I'd like to remind you to finish reading Chapters 7 through 8! We'll be having a quiz on that next week! You all are dismissed!" Professor Magnius claimed from his desk, shuffling through a stack of papers.

Genis reluctantly rose from his desk, not wanting to leave the confines of his arm barrier. He'd have like to simply stay in his seat and hide, but truth be told, it was bad enough he got one bad grade. It would be ten times worse if he was late for his next class, then he'd have both a bad grade and a detention for tardiness.

Sighing, Genis threw his book and notes in his satchel and grasped onto the handle, hulling it along with him as he made his way down the aisle.

"Hehehe." Genis stopped in his tracks, hearing the irritating voice. "What's wrong, poor Sage? KatzKatz got your tongue?" snickered a familiar classmate from behind him.

Swiveling around to face the voice, Genis held back his rage, "Mighty…"

"The name 'Genius' of yours is nothing but a lie, huh? Pssh, figures," Mighty spat. The older teen collided into Genis' shoulder, purposely causing Genis to stumble sideways, thus leading his satchel and its contents to drop and scatter about on the floor.

"Elves may talk, but they hold no true action to support themselves. They are almost just as hopeless as half-elves are… Pfft! And here I thought I was to have a slight bit of a challenge for Valedictorian," those were Mighty's last words as he exited the room, followed by his usual posse who laughed at Genis' pitiful state.

Genis, closing his eyes, gritted his teeth and curled his palms into tight fists to the point of numbness. "Humans are so…" He never finished his sentence. Instead, he shook off Mighty's words. _"It's better not to give them any satisfaction."_ With that thought in mind, he spoke softly to himself aloud, "Heh, thinking it over though, Mighty is right about something - talk is cheap, and the irony of his words makes it even more true."

Laughing quietly to himself, Genis bent down, re-gathered his possessions one by one and placed them back in the satchel bag. When he obtained back his stuff, he finally walked to the end of the aisle and exited the classroom through the doorway.

He only went a few paces down the hallway before being halted by another voice, yet this one was quite monotone, "Wait!"

Genis, turning around once more, saw a mass of pink pigtails running in his direction. _"Her? … Don't tell me she's going to rub it in my face too… "_ he thought, gulping in nervousness.

Reaching him, the petite, pig-tailed girl held out a sheet of paper before his face. "It is yours, isn't it? You dropped it."

"Oh," startled at her kindness, Genis took the paper, "t-thank you… uh, Presea, r-right?"

"Yes," she bowed swiftly, her hair bobbing along. "It's nice to meet you, Genius Sage."

"S-same to y-you too…" Genis stuttered, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"I have to go now. I must take this luggage and drop them off at the dorms before heading to my next class," Presea said, referring to her bags that hung around her arms and the rolling bag next to her.

"O-o-okay" was all he could dumbly say.

Bowing again, Presea trotted in the other direction, her bags jingling as they hit her sides. Genis, sighing at his decline of social skills, thought, _"Great first impression, Genius. Now what could you possibly do now to make her think that you're not a total loser…"_

"Yo!~ Genis!!" called an old friend, tackling him from behind and engulfing him into a hug.

"Aaghh!" Genis yelled. He squirmed out of his friend's bear hug and faced him and the blond girl who stood next to him. "Was that really necessary to imitate an Egg Bear, Lloyd?"

Unsure, Lloyd answered, "Uh… maybe?" He tilted his head sideways, looking past Genis' figure. "Just who was that girl you were talking to by the way? I haven't seen her around campus before."

"She's Presea Combatir - a transfer student. We have the same Composition and Public Speaking class," Genis explained.

"A transfer student, huh," Lloyd softly repeated, rubbing his chin.

Colette, who was also trying to look past Genis, had to squint to see Presea's fleeting figure. "Presea sure is independent and strong to want to carry all those bags alone to the dorms. If only I arrived sooner, I would've tried to help."

"Oh, crap! Bags!" Genis realized, whacking himself in the head. "I should've offered help to her... Argh, I'm so stupid!" The silverette quickly spun around on his heels, running off in pursuit. "Presea, hold on!"

"Guah! Not running! We just came from Artes class!" Genis heard Lloyd complain, his friends footsteps echoing just a few paces behind him.

"Presea!" Genis called out once more, hand outstretched, waving.

The pink-haired girl at the end of the hall stopped in her tracks. Her feet came to a stop, then swiveled around, making a full one-hundred and eighty degree turn. With an emotionless expression, her violet eyes stared at the three teens running toward her.

As they neared her, the three youths slowed to a stop, taking a pause to rest for a bit and catch their breath. And once their breathing was slightly settled, they spoke.

"P-Presea… I-I…" Genis stuttered, his eyesight wandering away from her blank eyes and to the floor. He couldn't muster up the courage to say anything else.

"Yes, Genius?" Presea asked, cocking her head sideways. "What is it that you need to tell me?"

"Go ahead, Genis. Spit it out!" Lloyd commanded, smacking his friend encouragingly in the back.

Even with Lloyd's pat on the back, Genis could not form any new words to say. The silverette's mouth opened and closed, but no words did escape his lips. It was just like this morning in Composition & Public Speaking. Knowing that she was watching him, he couldn't speak properly. This time though, being face to face with her brought nothing but silence from the silverette.

"_What's wrong with me?! I just need to say 'Would you like some help with those bags? I'd be delighted to help!' but no… All I can do is stutter and be silent… At this rate, she probably does think I'm a loser," _Genis thought as the edges of his lips formed a frown.

"Aw, c'mon, Genis! Don't tell me a KatzKatz got your tongue?" Lloyd said, punching his friend gently in the arm.

"_Dear, Martel… I'm seriously starting to hate that saying!"_ the silver-haired said in his head, his frown now replaced by a displeased scowl.

"Um, what Genis is trying to say is that we'd like to help you carry your bags to your dorm," informed Colette.

"Yeah!" Lloyd exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Genis' neck and huddling next to him. "Even though I just came from Artes, Me and Genis would gladly help, Presea!" His goofy smile stretched across his face.

"And who are you two to offer assistance?" Presea questioned, her voice still monotone and her expression unwavering.

"I'm Colette Brunel," the blonde introduced with her known smile, "and he's Lloyd Irving."

"Yo!" Lloyd said, waving his free hand.

"Colette, Lloyd, Genius," the monotone girl said directing her attention to each of them as she spoke their names. "Thank you for your concern, but it would be best if I handled these bags on my own."

"There's no need to be modest, Presea. We want to help," Colette sincerely insisted, nodding.

Rubbing under his nose with his index finger, Lloyd released his hold of Genis, "Especially when it's a new transferee. It's kind of like our welcome to Symphonia kind of thing!"

"I don't know," Presea said, shaking her head. "I'd rather not burden you all."

"… P-Please, Presea!" Genis uttered, his eyes shimmering of determination.

Seeing the silver-haired before her, Presea sighed, giving in, "Alright, you three can help." She let go of her grip on her rolling luggage and set down next to it the two carry-on bags that were slung over both her shoulders. Presea then walked a few steps back, letting the trio do their thing.

Colette, making the first move, reached forward for one of the carry-on bags, but her hand was swatted away from it in her quest. "H-hey!" Colette protested, pout faced.

Waggling a finger at her, Lloyd sang, "Nah-uh-un~ Weak girls shouldn't have to lug around large, bulky bags. Just take the rolling luggage case, Colette, and leave the hardcore stuff to me and Genis!" He grinned proudly.

"Fine," Colette, reluctant, stated. She grabbed the handle of the rolling luggage and towed it behind her, allowing Genis and Lloyd to move in next to the carry-ons.

Grabbing onto the two straps, Lloyd and Genis ensured to have a firm grip of the bags.

"You got it?" Lloyd asked him.

The silverette nodded in response, "Yeah."

"Okay, and don't forget to lift with your legs… On the count of three… One!" Lloyd announced.

The two bent their knees, securing their stance.

"Two!"

Their hold on the two straps tightened.

"Three!" Lloyd finally announced.

Heaving with all their might, the two boys clenched their teeth, trying to haul the bags off the ground to get the straps around their arms. But to no avail, the carry-on bags did not budge. They sat squarely on the same spot Presea had left them at.

"Argh!" the brunette yelled, heaving once more. His second effort was useless though for the bag still didn't move.

"Ooof!" Genis said next to him, plopping down on his bottom. He too failed to life the bag up a second time.

Directing their attention from the bags, the two boys looked up to see Colette and Presea. Both girls were armed with un-entertained looks.

Laughing, Lloyd regained his proud demeanor, "Heheh, we're just joking around, right, Genis?"

"… R-right!" replied a hesitant Genis.

"Now, this time we're gonna be serious!" Lloyd declared, flashing a confident smile. He re-wrapped his hands around the straps. "One… Two… Three!"

Doing a final third tug, the two tried to lift the bags. But once more, they only made fools of themselves. The bags were not lifted off the hallway floor. Not even by a mere millimeter.

Sad and defeated, the two gave up. They rose to their feet exhausted and their arms sagged by their sides, limp and out of strength.

"Alright! I give!" Lloyd admitted, ashamed that he could not lift a single bag. "But seriously, how can a simple girl's bag be so darn heavy?! Did you stuff bricks in them?!" he sarcastically hollered.

"Yeah," Genis said dismally, messaging his sore arms, "no kidding."

"Actually, they aren't filled with bricks. Those two bags are filled with sacred wood," Presea explained.

"Sacred wood?!" the trio yelled in unison, all baffled at the bags contents.

"Yes," Presea continued, "sacred wood. I cut it down from the sacred trees of my hometown and brought it with me. And as you two experienced first hand, the wood is tremendously heavy which is why I informed that it was best if I handled them myself." Walking over back to her bags, Presea bent over and picked the two bags up with ease and pulled the straps over her shoulders. The two teenage boys could only watch wide-eyed in shock.

"_How can a petite girl like Presea lift two bags of sacred wood without having any kind of trouble when we couldn't even make it shift even in the slightest?!"_ Genis thought, face written with appall.

Presea then strolled over to Colette, "The rolling luggage, please, Colette."

"Ah, it's okay! I'm actually able to tow this along," Colette said, sending an unusual, irked smile over in Lloyd's direction.

Whispering, Genis leaned over and told the brunette, "I think you hurt her feelings back when." A rapid swing of Lloyd's hand later, and Genis was whacked in the back of his silver head. "Ow!" screamed Genis, clutching his now hurt cranium.

Lloyd only muttered gloomily in response, "Shut up."

"Thank you, Colette," said the monotone, pigtailed girl.

"Not a problem, Presea. Now where are we taking these bags of yours?" Colette gleefully asked.

Presea answered, "My schedule said that I'm to reside in Dorm 3-C, the women's quarters."

"Really, 3-C? That's where _my_ dorm room is!" the blond said excitedly. "I'll definitely be able to guide you there if you'd like."

"That would be quite beneficial for me considering I am not aware of this academy and its surrounding area," the pinked-haired girl replied.

"Well then, let's get going then shall we, Presea?" Colette finished with one last smile and began edging toward the hallway exit.

A monotone "Yes" was Presea's response.

Turning her attention over to the two silent boys, Colette asked, "You two going to tag along with us?"

"Uh," Lloyd started, "sure, I--mmph!" His sentence ended abruptly. Lloyd's words were muffled by the hand of Genis. It covered the brunette's mouth.

Quickly, Genis interfered, "H-he means no! W-we'll just reserve spots at lunch for you two... C-can't have lunch without seats and a table for everyone, r-right?"

"Hm, I guess so. Alrighty then, bye, Lloyd. Bye, Genis!" Colette announced her farewell with a wave and walked away with Presea, exiting the hallway and strolling into the outside.

Exhaling a deep sigh, Genis released his hold on Lloyd's mouth. Being free to speak, Lloyd gladly took the opportunity to let his mind run, "What was that all about, Mr. Stuttering Sage?! One moment you're all like, 'I should offer help to her!' And then the next, you're all, 'Oh never mind, you two go on ahead. We'll just go save seats!' … Really, Genis?" The brunette finished his soap-box moment, eyebrows angled curiously and arms crossed.

Truthfully, Genis did not want to tell Lloyd the real reason for his change in decision. Surely it would appear and sound foolish for the silver-headed to admit that he didn't want stick around the new transfer student any longer, saying that every time he was near her he couldn't control his words and that he felt nervous and sick to his stomach. If he did say that, Genis would expect to hear the fits of laughter coming from the brunette in front of him.

Instead, to prevent himself from any further embarrassment, Genis lied, "W-well, I didn't want to make a bigger fool of myself in front of Presea after being unable to lift one measly luggage bag. Plus, someone does have to save seats and a table at the food court. You know how crowded that place can get."

Lloyd paused, thinking. "… True, Genis."

Hearing that, Genis exhaled, letting his apprehension leave his system. It actually wasn't a full-fledge lie that the silverette told. It did have some truth in it. In the end though, Genis was just glad that his friend was easily swayed, letting Genis shift the direction of a conversation to something else without Lloyd even noticing.

Continuing, Lloyd said, "And speaking of you unable to carry that bag, we say not a single word of this incident to _anyone_! Especially not Zelos; he seriously would not let us live this moment down."

"Agreed and definitely agreed!" Genis approved.

"Good… 'cause after this incident, I think I've lost all my pride as a man." At those words, Lloyd's arms shoulders dropped and a wave of sadness overtook the brunette's face.

"Sadly, Lloyd, I think I've lost all pietas too," Genis slumped over similarly like Lloyd. A display of grief was on the silverette's face.

Eyebrow raised and confusion struck, Lloyd lowly murmured uncertainly to him, "Pita? … Isn't that a bread?"

"Pi-eh-tas," Genis repeated slowly in syllables. "Pietas, Lloyd. Pietas. It's Angelic for pride."

"Oh… So does that mean you _do_ have pita bread on you?"

"Huh?" Genis questioned, an expression of bewilderment growing on his face. "Why do you ask?"

Lloyd, rubbing the back of his brunette head, answered hesitantly, "… I kind of worked up a bit of a hunger trying to lift those heavy bags of sacred wood." And as if to support the brunette's claim, Lloyd's stomach grumbled loudly.

Shaking his silver head and chuckling lightly, Genis said, "Heheh, I should've known."

_~ S.S.D. ~_

The food court on this Monday was no different then any other day. It was the same bustling fast-food area as all ways, and the tables and seats were filled completely too. Among the crowd of people was the quintet of Lloyd, Genis, Mithos, Zelos, and the lone girl, Sheena, all of them awaiting at one of the tables for Colette's and the new transfer student's arrival.

Although, even with the placement the same as always, one person wasn't their usual self. That person was Genis. At the table, he continually shifted around in his seat, trying to find a comfortable position. His feet kept rhythmically tapping the metal supports underneath the table; the speed of his foot differing from time to time as his anxiety level rose or diminished. The tray of food before Genis was nearly untouched. Only the small grooves of where he poked at his rice with a fork were present. And his sapphire eyes kept darting across back and forth horizontally as if he was in deep thought.

"_Oh, man… I went through telling a lie to Lloyd so I could come to the food courts to regain my composure after making a fool of myself in front of Presea… But now that I'm here, I can't stop thinking about the fact that she's going to be eating with _us_! … What if I make more of a fool of myself when she arrives? Can I talk to her without stuttering this time-- or will I even be able to talk at all?!… Goddess Martel, please help me," _Genis' face scrunched up in worry as he lingered in his thoughts. He began to continue his assault on his rice, stabbing it once again with a fork. This time though the stabbing was more rapid and forceful.

Staring at his friend, Lloyd, unbeknownst of Genis' conflict, could only send a quizzical glace and a fury of blinks over to the silver-haired's way. The brunette, scooting over to Mithos, whispered over a question, "Do you have any idea of why Genis is so uptight today, Mithos?"

In a low hush, Mithos responded, taking a break from his meal, "I actually was going to ask you the same thing, Lloyd. I figured you've known him longer so you'd know. But I guess your stuck in the same boat as me, huh?"

"Yeah," Lloyd honestly said. "I'm completely clueless!" he finished his words loudly in hopes of Genis being able to hear it. The brunette turned over to Genis' way, expecting to hear one of his smart-alecky remarks of 'How is that any different than any other day?' But instead, Lloyd didn't hear any of those words. He only heard the sound of Genis' fork burrowing deeper into his mound of rice and saw the same look of uneasiness spread across the fifteen year-old's face.

Lloyd frowned, whispering aloud, "What's wrong with him today? Not hearing those smartass comments coming from him really makes me sad myself."

"That's funny," Sheena said, sitting across from them. "You'd think you would enjoy not hearing Genis' comments. But you missing them-- now that's just shocking."

"Well, it's not normal for him to be so tense and not like his old self… Something's got to be bothering him to make him act this way," Lloyd informed.

"Why don't you all ask the kid straight out then? He's right here!" Zelos, who sat next to Sheena at the table, obviously pointed out.

Using her hand, Sheena maliciously smacked Zelos across the face, quietly spewing, "All of us barraging him with questions isn't going to help Genis. It's just downright rude!"

"Ouch, Sheena! Next time don't hit me on the face. Smacking a man across the facial area does nothing but hurt his pride," Zelos pouted, rubbing his red face.

Sheena retorted back, "Well, if not the face, how about I kick you in the groin again? Hmm?!" Her arms crossed on her chest and her eyes burned of seriousness.

Dimly, Zelos faked a laugh, "Eheh…" His voice then turned somewhat grave, "Now that's just going to make a man unable to reproduce, Sheena."

The raven-haired sophomore scoffed, "That's exactly my point, Zelos." Standing up from her seat, Sheena faced Zelos, cracking her knuckles as she did before. "Don't want to have little Zelos juniors running around now can we? It would ruin society as we know it."

Zelos, wincing, rose his arms above his head. "Sh-Sheena, hunny! T-this is all just some fun and games of yours… right?"

"Um… Sheena, I think you've told Zelos off for one day," Lloyd spoke out, trying to calm down the situation.

Mithos joined in as well, helping Lloyd to maintain the peace, "Y-yeah, I think he's got the picture already."

Sheena didn't pay attention to them though, not caring of any opinions at the moment. "If you call neutering fun and games, then yes," she said bluntly before rearing back a fist.

"Guah! Not the face or the groin!" Zelos yelped, ducking his head into his lap and using his arms as a shield for his skull.

As if to save the poor, helpless red-head, a call from the end of the group's table ended Sheena's attack. "We're finally here, everyone! Hope we aren't too late to join you for lunch." There at the edge of the lunch table stood the figures of Colette and the transferee, Presea.

Rising his head from his lap and moving away his arm shelter, Zelos peeked over to the new arrivals. The red-haired, standing up from his seat and scurrying off to the two girls, swarmed them with smiles, "My, my, my! Well, if it isn't Colette bringing a new recruit to be one of my new hunnies! Aren't you an angel?" He soon became hushed, murmuring over to himself, "Angel… angel… Little Angel!" His voice chimed back to normal. "Found the perfect nickname for you, Colette!" He smiled haughtily towards the young blond.

Uncertain what to say, Colette said, "Uh… thank you I guess?"

"Oh, no need for thanks! Now you two come sit, come sit! We've got plenty of room still left," Zelos motioned and began gently guiding the two girls over to the empty seats next to Sheena. After they had sat down, Zelos strolled over to the other side, the one filled with guys, and sat down next to Lloyd. He obviously knew if he sat down next to Sheena again he could possibly suffer from another injury.

Genis, stopping his stabbing of rice, looked up to see the girl who was situating herself across from them. Dropping his fork, Genis gulped; the nervousness building up in him was at the point of exploding. Tense, Genis shakily greeted her, "H-hi, again, P-Presea!" His voice was a bit too loud than normal, making him sound awkward.

The blank, cobalt eyes of Presea's met his. Genis' face began to flush slightly at her intense gaze.

"Hello, again to you too, Genius," she replied emotionlessly.

The red blush on his cheeks deepened at her response. Forcing his gaze down to his food, he hid his expression from her. Genis mustered all his courage within him to say, "U-um… y-you kn-know… you c-could ca-call me j-j-just Ge-Genis i-if you'd l-like. G-Genius i-is what t-the h-higher ups c-call me."

"Very well then, Genis."

Slowly rising from his food, Genis let his eyes meet hers again. He flashed a small, dim smile to her as if telling her thanks.

"Hm, seems like you two already know each other quite well now. Something happen that I don't know about?" Zelos teased, his face covered with a smirk.

Lloyd jumped into the conversation, un-wanting Genis, Colette, or even Presea to answer, "I-it's nothing important!"

"Oh, so I should say you three," cooed the red head, smirk still on hand.

Puffing up and crossing his arms was Lloyd's silent reply.

Finishing from where he left off, Zelos proclaimed suavely, "Ah, I haven't introduced myself, have I? I'm known as the Great Zelos Wilder for my high nobility and status as a sophomore Chosen! But with you being a new hunny, you may just refer to me as Zelos if you'd like." He ended with his signature charming smile.

"Ugh," Sheena grumbled, "enough with this hunny stuff, Zelos. We are definitely not going to join your horde of rabid fans." She turned to Presea. "I'm Sheena, by the way. If Zelos does anything perverted to you or around you, don't be afraid to tell me. In fact, do tell because I'll sock him one in a heartbeat." One of Sheena's demonic glares were shot over to Zelos to which he swatted away like a fly by sending over another one of his alluring grins.

"And my name's Mithos," the blond boy said, friendly smiling. "Which academy did you transfer from, Presea?"

Presea replying to him, "My last academy of enrollment was Sybak. I ended up transferring here after four weeks due to an available open slot in the roster."

"Oh, really? That's great. Glad to know you were able to be accepted into Symphonia! It takes a lot of intelligence, recognition, and luck to be accepted here. So congrats," Mithos chimed happily.

Once again, Genis loudly agreed, "Y-yeah! C-congrats! …"

The entire group, excluding Presea sent questionable looks toward Genis who directed his gaze back down to his food. He apparently was embarrassed again.

"So what's your hometown, Presea?" Lloyd asked. "I don't think I asked you that when I first met you."

"The town near Gaoracchia Forest, Ozette."

"Gaoracchia Forest, huh?" Zelos started, taking a pause to think. "… That's the forest near my hometown, Meltokio. I--"

Interrupting, Genis stuttered, "I-I hear Ozette is a-a very q-quaint but s-serene and p-peaceful pl-place!"

Just like before, the group looked over to Genis, barring the same weird glance.

Genis, shifting in his seat and looking away from them, mumbled, "O-or so I h-hear…"

Chuckling lightly, Zelos whispered over to Lloyd, Sheena, Mithos, and Colette, telling them of his realization, "I think I've found out what our little kid's been so nerve-racked about."

"Well, tell us then," Sheena quietly ordered.

As soft as he could, Zelos told them, "I believe Genis Sage over here is experiencing girl troubles." He winked as he said 'girl troubles'.

"Duh!" Sheena exclaimed silently to herself. "Why couldn't I see that?"

"Wait a sec, what do you mean 'girl troubles'?" Lloyd asked softly.

"Well, my dear, Sheena, I do believe I have a gift in the relationship world that no one else has," Zelos said proudly.

Repeating himself, Lloyd muttered, "'Girl troubles'? … I seriously don't get it."

No one ever answered Lloyd's question of the meaning of 'girl troubles'. It seemed like Mithos and Colette understood somewhat for they didn't say anything. They simply continued to listen to the new conversations and even some of the bickering between Zelos and Sheena. On the other hand, Lloyd could not shake off Zelos' explanation of what Genis was going through.

The brunette became more confused as he lingered at the thought of 'girl troubles' and continued to watch the group's chatter drag on. As the talk kept going, Lloyd noticed Genis' fixation of Presea. The way he'd sneak glances over to her, the way he'd quickly look away when their eyes met, the way he'd stutter and then go silent when speaking to her, and the way he'd furiously blush around her - all of that _didn't_ make any connection in Lloyd's mind for the brunette was oblivious to things like this.

Twisting up his face in confusion, Lloyd could only think in his mind, _"Later on, I've really gotta ask Zelos about this 'girl troubles' thing."'_

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**Author's Note Time!**

Chapter 6 is finally over! Yay! ;D

Not one of the most entertaining chapters of mine in my opinion, but I feel like I accomplished my goal of introducing Presea and showing of how much a nervous-wreck Genis can be. Haha. xD Sadly for him, the embarassment won't end there.

I got to be perfectly honest. My next update for S.S.D. won't be for quite some time. I'm going to set the next date to post a chapter sometime in March. This will allow me to get further ahead in making chapters so I'm not too rushed or pressured. I hope you will understand this. Even so, I still would love to see readers and reviewers leaving nice feedback for me. It will motivate me into doing a lot more future chapters, and so when I do make my return in March, I'll be busting out a new chapter weekly on the weekends like I originally intended to. So send them in and boost my writer's pietas, guys! x3

Also, I'm halting chapters to S.S.D. because I'm starting a new Tales of Symphonia fanfic. If any of you love Genis' character like me or simply enjoy the pairing of Genis and Presea, I'd highly suggest you check it out. It's post-game Symphonia and will contain friendship themes. The fanfic is called _The Hourglass Effect_, so please check it out whenever you can. The prologue should be up by now, but the first actual chapter for it won't be posted until the weekend. Thank you for your consideration on reading/reviewing it!

And thank you so much for being awesome and understanding readers and reviewers. I hope to be back soon in March.

'til then, here's the Preview for ya!

**Preview:**

Next time on Symphonian School Days...

Being a transfer student, Presea is facing troubles of making her way across campus. In hopes of helping her, Genis offers her to show her around campus. Meanwhile, Lloyd returns back to his old roots of procrastination and rebellion, un-wanting to do his work. Instead of classwork, the brunette does some recon, trying to find the cause of all the unlucky and bad things that have been happening to him the past few weeks of school. Little does Lloyd know he's going to thrust himself into more antics but this time with an unlikely cohort.

_'Campus Tours & Initiations'_ is the chapter up next!

Valete, omnes~ :3 (Valete, omnes = Goodbye, everyone in Latin)


	7. Campus Tours & Initiations

I know, I know! I'm three days late of making my March deadline, and now you all want to kill me for not updating on time. It's okay if you do because I personally am disappointed in myself too for not reaching my desired update day. But I'd like to personally thank tiger002 and kikkiclow88 for being such understanding reviewers about this matter as well as Riffer Xiron who reviewed the last chapter. With your three's reviews in mind, I finally finished this chapter. So thank you for the motivation booster, guys! :D

Oh yeah, good news, bad news time... Bad news is - I wasn't able to finish any chapters in advance during the time I was gone except for this one... But for the good news - I've outlined every chapter up to Chapter 16. So I'll be able to write more confidently and maybe a little bit faster. Yay! XD

Now, before I delay it any longer, here's Chapter 7. It picks off right after the events in Chapter 6 just to point out. And I hope that even though I've been gone for a month that my writing is still somewhere up to par as before.

**D****isclaimer: **Me owning the rights to Symphonia is like saying Dodo birds - even though they're dead - will fly… The chances of that is definitely 0%. And don't worry about the statistics, I personally asked Presea for a correct analysis. xD Now onward and upward to the story!

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_**Ch. 7: Campus Tours & Initiations**_

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In life, we are pitted against things that we cannot see, things we can't touch. They are things that are non-existent to the human eye, yet we know they exist. We may not be able to see or feel it, but we know it's there. That was what Lloyd Irving was up against. After the first week of school, Lloyd has been constantly trying to fight back. But it's hard for him to fend off something that he can't grasp with his hands, and that frustrated him. For Lloyd's case, he is up against is his own misfortune. This day to him was just another day off trying to retaliating back at any calamities that forebode his future. However, Lloyd wasn't all that dumb. He knew that trying to battle with one's bad luck is practically an omen in itself, but Lloyd isn't the kind of person to run away from his goals just because of one factor. He knew to simply find a way around that, and loopholes are what Lloyd is known for, especially considering his reputation of slacking off and sleeping in class.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Tuesday]**

Room 53's door creaked opened, and in entered Lloyd's roommate, Zelos Wilder, who had returned after cleaning up in the dorm showers and changing into his school uniform. He was now pampering his royal-crimson locks by running his fingers through to check for knots and stroking it. Although he abruptly stopped his fixation on his hair upon stepping into his dorm room, noticing an unusual absence of light. All the blinds were completely shut and the ceiling lights as well as the bedside lamps were turned off, leaving the room engulfed in total darkness.

Confused, Zelos stumbled around for the light switch on the wall. Once he found it, he flipped the switch and light instantly dissipated the darkness, finally allowing him to see the room's contents. To Zelos' relief, there was no sign of an intruder trying to steal his belongings or even an assassin hiding in the dark prepared to kill him. The only sign of presence was a bulge underneath the blankets of Lloyd's bed.

Calling out to the bulge, Zelos woke him up, "Alright now, Bud! Why aren't you ready for class yet?"

"Guhhuuh?" came the slurred voice of Lloyd from under the stirring bed sheets. A few seconds passed and Lloyd's brunette, bed-head hair and lethargic face popped out from the covers. Seeing Zelos staring curiously at him, the brunette sluggishly answered, "Oh… G'mornin', Zelos."

"You do know it's 8:15 now, right?" Zelos asked.

Lloyd blinked his eyes innocently several times before responding with the shake of the head horizontally. "Uh, no."

"Why of course not, considering you made our room pitch black," the red-head griped stylishly. "Are you purposely trying to be late to class?"

"Uh, no," Lloyd again replied. "I'm purposely trying to not get _unlucky_!"

"Unlucky…? What?" said a perplexed Zelos.

"I'm trying to avoid experiencing any bad luck today by staying in this room; that way I'm not tumbling into anything unlucky," Lloyd explained to him. "You know, the unlucky events of waking up late, hitting my head on a rock, having alchemy materials blow up in my face, starving from having no food. Basically the stuff from the first week of school."

"Ohhh! Unlucky. I get it," Zelos claimed slyly. A suspicious smirk slowly crept onto his face.

"And come to think about it, more stuff happened to me these past few weeks too with me falling down a flight of stairs, an arrow in Artes class almost nicking off my ear, and I slipping onto my back while running to catch the transport trolley," the brunette added.

"I believe I know what you are going through, my dear Bud!" replied Zelos as he scurried over to sit on the edge of Lloyd's bed.

"Don't tell me you're unlucky too?!" Lloyd quickly deduced.

"Well, not anymore. Thing is, you're a freshman and I'm a sophomore; that's why you're so fortuneless. You're experiencing the Freshmen First Curse," Zelos diagnosed. "It's something few freshmen get, and it's near impossible to avoid."

"The Freshmen First Curse?! You've got to be kidding me. I am not a gullible little kid, Zelos," Lloyd mentioned, his hazel eyes rolling.

"I'm serious!" Zelos alleged, arms raised up in defense to which Lloyd gave a incredulous stare. "You don't believe me, then fine," the red-headed sophomore swiftly rose from the edge of the bed, "I guess I won't be lending you any help in getting back your fortune." He began swinging one leg forward, intending to walk out of the dorm room, but a call held him back.

"Hold on a sec!" he heard Lloyd demand from behind him, stopping in in his tracks.

Turning around, Zelos cooed with a grin, "Yes?"

Lloyd, pulling aside the sheet covers and scooting over to sit on the edge, quietly murmured, his eyes staring at the carpet floor, "Okay, I believe you…" Raising his head and facing Zelos, the brunette ordered, "Now what about that help of yours?"

"Heheh," laughed Zelos, his smile still present. "Don't worry, Bud. I'll give you the proper items and guide you through so you can get back your luck. With the Great Zelos Wilder on your side, everything will be 'A'-okay!" He sat back down and assured Lloyd with a pat on the back and a charming wink.

"… _Did I just ask Zelos for his help?"_ quizzically thought Lloyd. He then sighed in his realization, a grim look displayed on his face, _"I seriously must be getting desperate."_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

The Arithmetic Hallways on Symphonia's campus were bustling with students and echoing with their voices as they roamed about to their Tuesday morning classes as well as those mingling in the company of friends, chatting before class begun. Planning to pass through those halls was Sheena. She had just swung by the Science Wing previously, having dropped off Colette to her Biology class with Professor Kvar, and was now casually walking on to her own class located in the History Wing. To get there though, Sheena was taking her usual short-cut through the Arithmetic building to make her trek less tedious. However, this short-cut would turn out to be not so familiar to the sophomore. Rather than passing by and seeing students chatting amongst each other alongside the walls, the students were dead-silent, awestruck at the sound of the double doors opening and closing upon Sheena's arrival. Their curious, prying eyes were all glued in her general direction, staring at her every move as she strolled down the hallway.

Perturbed from their constant attention, Sheena stopped in her tracks and drew her hands to her hips. Intensely poised, she briskly and assertively asked aloud, "What's wrong?! Haven't you seen an endowed girl before?!" Her hawk-like eyes glanced from group to group, searching for a reply.

Sadly for Sheena, no one was willing to spare her even a simple nod. Each and every student only returned her outburst with the same befuddled stares from before.

"Can't you nobles even give me an answer to a simple yes or no question?" Sheena inquired, her hands falling to her sides and her glare softening. Then she softly whispered to herself, "Geez, apparently these nobles are only good for their gald."

"Now, now, Sheena~" sang a recognizable voice from behind. A tender hand followed soon after, caressing her shoulder and slowly running down the length of her arm to the tip of her fingers. And as the hand met her fingers, Sheena's hand was graciously held before a bowing man's face. It was the man who had called her name, or simply a man named Zelos Wilder. He carefully wisped a kiss on the back of her hand, grinning chivalrously as he did so. As he pulled away from her hand, he sincerely told her, "Some nobles are good for their looks and gentlemanly ways as well."

Sheena's face instantly began to heat up in both embarrassment and irritation from Zelos' actions and words. Although, because of it, she was unable to give Zelos a proper threatening and punishment as she normally would do. In its place, she swatted back her hand from Zelos' grasp and turned slightly away from him, her face fuming red and her eyes shut.

After pausing, she stated daringly, crossing her arms, "Too bad you're not one of them." Sheena tilted her head skyward at her words.

Expecting to hear one of Zelos' pouts and whining at such a claim, her lips subconsciously began curling into a devious victory smile. However, the words she heard next prevented that from happening, "And too bad the nobles weren't checking you out."

Jutting open her obsidian-violet eyes and unfolding her arms, Sheena exclaimed in shock, "W-what?"

"Sorry, hunny, but they were looking at what you dragged in through the double doors behind you," Zelos proclaimed, his hand gesturing off to where she first entered the building.

There struggling in between the double doors was Lloyd. He wore around his neck numerous obnoxious, noisy, and flamboyant looking charms, necklaces, and other jewelry stacked and hanging sloppily over his uniform - all of which had an earthly, wilderness-like theme and were out of place on such a bleach white outfit sprinkled with red and yellow accents. One of the charms though was caught wrapped around one of the double door's handles to which the brunette was having trouble untying, evident by the fact that he was yanking the chain violently and without thinking; thus eventually causing all the students to stare over at the commotion in Sheena's direction.

Finally understanding the situation, Sheena whipped back around to face Zelos, "Why in the world is Lloyd--" But she ended mid-sentence, noticing Zelos was bubbly strolling deeper into the halls. "Hey, Zelos!" she called after him.

Her intimidating command to make him turn back around was thwarted though for Zelos continued his departure. "A good morning to you too, Sheena!" along with a wave and a crafty smile was the red-head's good-bye, his footsteps fading as he got farther and father.

Brushing off such a abrupt leave from Zelos, Sheena adverted her attention back to Lloyd who was still fumbling with the chains to his charm. Hurrying beside him, she offered the brunette help, "Don't tug on the chains. You have to loosen the knot from where it's caught at, and then it'll come free." And as Sheena instructed, her hands weaved around the chain, untying the knot and freeing Lloyd.

Now unbounded from the door, Lloyd smiled gratefully as he gingerly fiddled with the freed charm, his eyes drifting downward to stare at it, debating on whether it was better-off to keep wearing it or to remove it entirely.

"Lloyd, in my days here at Symphonia, I have never seen someone who wears twenty-five chains surrounding their neck. But here you are today making the unthinkable happen," Sheena said in amazement.

"Actually, it's twenty-seven, not twenty-five," Lloyd pointed out with a boyish grin.

Sheena chuckled lightly. "I'm sorry, twenty-seven chains… You mind telling me why you're wearing so many?" Sheena asked as they began walking down the halls.

"You're just gonna laugh if I tell you," Lloyd replied bluntly.

"I think seeing you wear an Egg Bear's paw, a Sidewinder's fang, a Boar's tusk, and a Scorpio's claw was enough of a laugh," the sophomore said, pointing to each of the charms.

Giving in, Lloyd halted in his tracks, "Okay, okay. I'll tell you." Peering over to his left and right, he made sure that no one was listening in on their conversation before whispering to Sheena, "I'm suffering from the Freshman First Curse."

"Freshman First--What?!" Sheena blurted aloud.

"Shhh!" pleaded Lloyd. In a hushed tone, he continued, "It's a rare curse that only freshmen get. And according to Zelos, I have it. Being a sophomore, he's able to give me advice to keep the bad luck away. That's why I'm wearing so many different monster charms." He jingled the chains, indicating how many types he wore.

"That's absurd," Sheena told him, "especially if it's from Zelos." She started to walked off ahead of Lloyd.

Chasing behind her heels, Lloyd said, "I thought so too, but all the bad luck that happened before I followed Zelos' advice didn't happen again and all because of these chains he gave me."

"Oh, really? Then what do you call that incident back by the double doors? Some freak accident?"

"Uh, well, Zelos did say that these charms didn't cover that… So I'm not counting that!"

"Then what do those charms _do_ cover then?" Sheena demanded for an answer.

Lloyd listed off, eyes focused on the ceiling as he remembered each, "They cover being late for class, getting hurt by rocks, starving from having no food, falling down stairs, objects flying towards me, slipping and missing transportation. And I think that's it."

The raven-haired sophomore stared at Lloyd incredulously, "Yet you don't find this at all ironic?"

"I find it helpful that Zelos would ensure all these loopholes just by wearing necklaces! You know, he is actually a pretty giving guy," Lloyd said.

"Yeah, and I'm the Summoner of all the Summon Spirits in Aselia," she sarcastically remarked.

"Huh, Summoner of what?" Lloyd asked.

"I-it's nothing, nothing!" Sheena quickly covered herself. "Anyways, can't you see how Zelos can guarantee so many loopholes so confidently?"

"Because these are magical charms?" Lloyd unsurely answered with a bleak smile.

"It's because _he's_ the one that's been showering you with bad luck! Those charms that he gave you are just bologna, fakes!" informed Sheena, causing Lloyd's smile to vanish.

"W-what?! But how do you know all this?!" clamored the distraught brunette, shaking his head in astonishment.

"Zelos pulled the same pranks on me last year but with the exception of those 'charms'. Apparently he's learned a thing or two since freshmen year and is covering up the fact that it was him who did all the pranks on you," Sheena explained. Then she dismally added, "Despite being unable to prank you anymore, I think he's getting the satisfaction of you wearing those ridiculous necklaces instead."

"So let me get this straight… This entire time Zelos has been pulling high jinks on me and made me wear fake charms that don't ward off anything?" Lloyd recapped, one of his eyes twitching.

Quitely, Sheena nodded a silent 'Yes'. She braced herself for an explosive eruption from the brunette before her. Although, she wouldn't have to.

Lloyd puffed up liked he was about to explode, but when he opened his mouth, he surprisingly just exhaled deeply. He then calmly said, "Thank you, Sheena. That's all I need to know. I'll see you around." And began to walk off to his Arithmetic class.

"Uh, yeah, see you," Sheena, confused, waved good-bye to the fleeting brunette.

As he walked off, Lloyd curled his lips into a smirk and his eyes shined with mischief, _"Loopholes, huh? … I think I've found the ultimate loophole to my 'misfortune' problem… If it's a prank war Zelos that he's playing, then it's time for me to enter the game."_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

However, in life, other people may have to deal with other problems than just 'bad luck'. They too face something that is out of sight and untouchable, but it's a different variation of it. It's both invisible and unfelt by those who are up against it. And because of these abilities, many who are afflicted by it are not even aware of its presence unlike one's misfortune. But when taken in through an outsider's perspective, the things that are invisible to the afflicted are crystal-clear to an outsider. How is that so? Well, that's the mystery of emotions. When one doesn't acknowledge their feelings, they are virtually oblivious to the problem. Therefore, these battles are not only a battle against one's emotions but a battle of recognizing them also. A conflict like that will surely prove to be a challenging one for Genis Sage.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Wednesday]**

"Whoooaaaa!"

_THUMP!_

"… Ouch…" yelped the silverette. He was clumsily sprawled out, laying on his backside across the dirt track and a metal hurdle resting on top of his stomach. His sapphire eyes stared at the vast cerulean skies above him as he carelessly blew a lock of his silver hair from his face, trying to not listen to the faint giggling and snickering of his classmates around him.

"Well, isn't someone having a Colette moment this morning?" teased his blond friend, a hand outstretched over to the fallen teen. "Come on, I'll help you up, Genis."

Taking his hand, Genis pushed aside the hurdle and was assisted to his feet, "Thanks, Mithos." Using his hands he brushed off any grains of dirt and sand that lingered on his P.E. outfit.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Genis saw a blur of yellow speed by him. The blur ridiculed, "Sage can't handle a little hurdle jump?" The student continued their run down the track, leaving Genis and Mithos in the dust with a mocking tongue protruding out of his mouth.

"Oh, who asked you, Mighty?!" retorted an infuriated Genis. With his foot, he kicked up dirt from the track into the air in his rage.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" Professor Yuan swiftly spewed, waving his arms over to the now formed dirt cloud. "No kicking up dirt from my track, Sage! And pick up that fallen hurdle while you're at it!"

Rueful of his actions, Genis sorrowfully called back, "S-sorry about that." He then picked up the hurdled and placed it back upright before running around the track.

Mithos, who was jogging alongside him, asked, "Trying to cause more of a ruckus today so people forget your field in a blaze incident?"

"No, I was just… distracted," Genis clarified, his eyes drifting away from Mithos and off toward the pole-vault area of the field. And at the moment he looked, Genis found himself staring in admiration and fixation at a familiar pink-haired transferee. She vaulted off a long pole and ascended into the air, gracefully flying over the crossbar and landing perfectly onto the safety mat with poise. _"It's as if she flew," _he thought in awe.

Catching him in flagrante delicto, Mithos sped up his pace and jogged backwards in front of Genis so that he could speak to him face to face. "Sooo you were distracted by Presea pole-vaulting, causing you to trip over that hurdle. Hmm, you'd think I would've picked up that you're a womanizer like Zelos. Guess not."

"I-it's not what you think! I--"

"Like Presea," Mithos interrupted quickly to which Genis silently blinked back. He was stunned at getting himself caught in Mithos' trap. So Mithos ended up repeating himself to try to shake him out of it, "You like Presea, am I correct?"

"Wha--No--I…" the silverette stammered, hues of red appearing on his cheeks. "I don't like her."

"Then why'd you offer her at lunch on Monday that you would show her around campus today?"

"I-I'm just trying to be a good fellow student is all!"

"A good fellow student who wants to get Presea to like him too," backcombed Mithos with a wide-grin.

"Okay, Mithos, how many times are you going to tease me? I already told you that I have no feelings for Presea. She's just a friend that I'm willing to help," Genis sternly declared.

"Mmmhmm," Mithos mumbled as he looked Genis over in disbelief.

"Well, why don't you join us as we tour the campus then if you want to see for yourself that we're friends!" yelled a determined Genis. "And could you stop running backwards in front of me? If you end up falling, you're going to make me trip up again." Genis lightheartedly shoved Mithos aside as he sped up so that the blond was no longer leading.

Now running alongside him once again, Mithos said, "I don't know… I'd feel as if I'm imposing on you two."

"We're simply showing Presea around the academy grounds. It's not like a date which you're making it sound like. So come on, it'll be fun!" insisted Genis.

"Weeell," Mithos stressed, thinking it over, "fine. I guess I'll join in."

The silverette flashed a thankful smile.

Mithos added jokingly, "Although, if I spot you two getting all lovey-dovey, I'm out of there!" The blond broke out into a full sprint, hoping to get as far away from his friend's clutches.

"What the--Hey!!" shouted Genis, dashing to catch up.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Lunch that noon was the same as every other day. Everyone surrounded the same lunch table and sat in the same seats. And of course, a certain red-head was running fashionably late as he always did. So the grouped paid it no mind. In fact, a few of them enjoyed this time away from Zelos. It was a brief moment of reprieve. But today, Lloyd was actually eager to see his dorm mate for once, happily bouncing in his seat in expectancy.

"So any of you guys seen Zelos today? I haven't seen him since I woke up!" exclaimed the joyful brunette.

"Negative. I have not witnessed Zelos anywhere," monotonously replied Presea.

"Neither have I," Genis joined in, and then the rest of the group shook their heads for a 'No'.

"That's strange. First he's been practically absent for the entire day, and now he's late for his usual pop in entrance to join us for lunch," Colette worriedly informed after looking at her cell phone.

"Well, that's a shame," Lloyd disappointedly said. "I was hoping to see him today."

Immediately suspicious by the fact that Lloyd of all people would want to spend another minute with his dorm mate, Zelos, Sheena whispered over to the brunette stealthily without attracting anyone else, "Psst! Do you know something about Zelos that I don't?"

Laughing softly, Lloyd whispered back, "Heheh. You'll see." A mischievous smile formed on his face.

Clueless as to what the brunette meant, Sheena sat in confusion until a barrage of _Plunk! Plunk! Plunk! _radiated throughout the food court. Startled out of her thoughts, Sheena and the rest of the gang stopped eating their meals and directed their attention over to the source of the plunking. The sound was coming from a gloomy and disheveled looking Zelos. He wore a skin tight Symphonia uniform that was several sizes too small. It was as if it had belonged to a petite middle-schooler before him. And so, his ankles and forearms and part of his midriff stuck out of the uniform. On his feet were the shoes causing such a loud sound. One of the shoes was perfectly fine, fitting around his foot in a comfortable manner. But the other was just the opposite, flimsily walking around, probably from the fact that it was the wrong type of shoe. On both of Zelos' feet were two left shoes.

When Zelos sat down at the group table with his tray of food, he gravely declared, "Not a single word."

The entire table obeyed his words but couldn't hold back the cries of laughter echoing out of their mouths.

In the midst of the awkward situation, Sheena whispered again to Lloyd, "You did that to Zelos? He looks like an overgrown elementary clown-kid with that uniform and two left shoes!"

Smiling in his sabotage's success, he told her, "It gets even better."

And as if on cue, a delivery man came by the table, rolling in with him a stack of boxes on a cart. Facing Zelos, the delivery man announced, "Delivery for Mister Zelos Wilder." He handed him a slip to sign.

"A delivery for me?" Zelos responded in bewilderment. Taking the slip, he quickly scribbled down his signature and shoved it back into the delivery man's hands before tearing open one of the brown boxes. Once he did open them and saw what was inside, he instantly yelled, "What the hell?!" The red head pulled out multiple shoes. "What are all my right shoes doing in a delivery box?!" In distress, Zelos looked to the delivery man, "And why didn't you simply send them to my dorm room?! That would have been far more easier and more convenient!"

The delivery man, in his defense, stated, "But, sir, this is a special request from the sender to deliver it to you in person. I cannot disobey a customer's wishes."

"Well, then obey mine! I demand of you to send all this up to my dorm room," commanded Zelos. But before the delivery man left, Zelos popped off the clunky left shoe that was on his right foot and threw it in one of the boxes and put a proper right shoe in its place. "There! Now go!" he hollered, sitting back down.

Settling back down his anger, Zelos said, "Man, can you believe delivery men these days? No common sense what-so--" The crimson-haired stopped, spotting his empty tray of food. "M-my food! What happened to it?!"

_Buuurp!_ came escaping from Lloyd's lips. With an innocent face, Lloyd explained, "In all this commotion, I guess I ended up eating your food on accident. My bad."

"... Then can at least have some of yours in return?" Zelos asked, hopeful to fill his empty stomach.

"Um, I would but… I kind of ate all my food too," Lloyd admitted with a goofy grin.

Deeply breathing in and out, in and out, Zelos tried to keep his second barrage of anger at bay. With a trembling voice, Zelos said, "T-that's alright… May I at l-least borrow o-one of your uniforms for the r-rest of the d-day, Lloyd? I'd rather not w-wear this to my next class."

"Yeah, sure. Just take whichever one that fits."

"Thanks, Lloyd," was all Zelos said in return. The red-haired got up from his seat and began treading off to his room.

With Zelos gone from the lunch table, the group busted out into laughter.

Through laughs, Sheena managed to utter quietly, "Wow, Lloyd. I can't believe you actually pranked Zelos!"

"Oh, but the fun doesn't end there… He's just about to walk into my final trick," Lloyd muttered. He then rose up from his own seat, bidding the group farewell, "I've got some things I need to take care of. I'll talk with you all later."

A wave good-bye and a few see you later's from the gang and Lloyd left, making his way to his desired destination. _"Room 53, here I come! … It's time for the grand finale," _Lloyd smirked in anticipation.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

The distraught, red-haired sophomore finally reached his dorm room and stepped inside, rushing quickly over to the closet for a new uniform that fit snug on him and not this child's outfit that he currently wore. Placing both hands on the wooden knobs, Zelos whipped opened both doors with a greedy grin, expecting to simply take one of Lloyd's clean uniforms and wear it. However, that grin of his melted into one of alarm and his eyes began to budge out wide in comprehending the situation. There before his head was a plastic red bucket flying downward from atop the closet doors and inside were five gallons of wet water which poured down onto his un-expecting head, soaking his entire head and upper body.

"AAAHHHHH!!!" screeched a drenched Zelos.

"Good morning, Zelos!!" Lloyd annoyingly chirped as he entered the room, smiling in triumph at his work.

Zelos snapped, his anger boiling, "What is the meaning of all this?! Don't tell me it was _you_ who put me through all this hell today?!?!"

"Actually, I am," Lloyd proudly declared. "It was pay back for all the tricks you pulled on me ever since I came to Symphonia. And not only that but you lied to me about the Freshman First Curse and wearing charms that keep away evil spirits that cause misfortune. They weren't charms but goofy-looking ornaments to embarrass myself with so that you can still have a laugh." He tossed the stack of charms onto Zelos' bed forcefully. "If you ever try to pull another stunt on me, consider it war!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on there, Bud! I for one did not pull off all those tricks on you for just a laugh. It's a part of Freshmen Initiation," Zelos explained. His rage unexpectedly vanished.

"Freshmen Initiation? Okay, you're just pulling more crap on me!" bellowed Lloyd.

"I'm for real this time!" Zelos argued seriously. "Every year the upper-classmen of Symphonia do tricks on all the freshmen. It's like the right of passage to be fully excepted into academy society. But to think that you, a freshman, would revolt and prank back an upper-classman like me and all in one day. That's pretty impressive."

"Well, I am Iselia's Prankster Prince," Lloyd boasted.

"Prankster Prince, huh? I could use some assistance in spreading the Initation to others, and your skills would greatly help…"

"... Me, help?" Lloyd, dumbfounded, replied.

"So you will assist me? Then that's perfect!" Zelos exclaimed.

Lloyd tried to retort, "But I--"

"Our next client that we need to prank is one I'm sure you're familiar with. So don't worry about it so much, Bud! You'll do fine!" cooed Zelos, wrapping one of his soggy, wet arms around Lloyd's neck in reassurance. Guiding them both to the closet, Zelos snatched one of Lloyd's uniforms and then lead them both to exit Room 53. "But first, I must change at the restrooms! Onward!"

Unable to be freed from Zelos' clutches, Lloyd could only tread next to the drenched, smiling red-head. In his mind, Lloyd glumly thought, _"A simply revenge plot has brought me to join forces with Zelos who was once my enemy… Martel, what have I gotten myself into?"_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"… _Martel, what have I gotten myself into?"_ Genis thought as he paced the girls' dormitory lounge.

After lunch was over, Genis was dreading his plan of showing Presea around Symphonia. He feared that he would end up humiliating himself in front of her once again. But knowing that Mithos had pitched in to help be a guide eased the tension of nervousness that was accumulating in his gut. Still, the longer the silverette pondered on the possibilities of mortifying himself as he waited for Presea to arrive, the more he was self-conscious at how bad of an idea it was to give campus tours. With his heart and self-esteem sinking, he hung his head in distress.

Seeing him act so sullen, Mithos asked, "What's wrong? You getting pre-tour jitters?"

"N-no, it's just that I'm starting to doubt that this was such a good idea." The silverette rambled on, "I mean, we all just came from Monday's Artes class, so we're going to be tired and reek of sweat. Now that wouldn't be good and nor would wasting Presea's time when she could be doing other things." Genis made a short pause, sighing. "I guess you can say I'm--"

"Having regrets about all of this?" Mithos interjected.

Again, Genis stared back blankly at his friend's ability to read his mind. Shaking his head, Genis said, "Alright, you seriously have to got to stop finishing my sentences."

From the elevator popped out Presea, she ambled over to where Mithos and Genis were standing in the lounge. "Thank you two for waiting on me, and thank you Mithos for willing to guide me on such short notice," the taciturn girl said.

Mithos earnestly replied, "Oh, no need to thank me. I'm just glad I've been given the chance to be a good fellow student. Isn't that right, Genis?" He smiled amicably towards her and sent an understanding glance over Genis' way.

Knowing what he meant, Genis said, "Y-yeah, right, right… Anyways, s-shall we start the tour then?"

"Yes," Presea nodded.

And the trio began to walk out of the girls' dormitory.

"Soooo," Mithos casually caroled, "Presea, how's your first days at Symphonia been? Good?"

Genis sighed in thought, _"Today is going to be a _long_ day."_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Nonchalantly standing between two tall bookshelves packed with thick, old books were Zelos and Lloyd. They were covertly standing by, acting as if they were looking for a book as they awaited their client to prank. Thanks to Zelos' know-how, they were able to arrive at the location before their client arrived, allowing them to set up their equipment accordingly. And it just so happened that the client was to be in the academy library later on this afternoon, making the situation even more delicate. With the constant wary eyes of the librarian following Zelos and Lloyd around, the duo had to be very precise and act as casual as possible.

Moments passed before Zelos spotted the person, flagging the signal to Lloyd as he did so. "Our client has arrived," the red-head informed quietly.

Hustling over to Zelos' side, Lloyd peered around the bookshelf carefully. His hazel eyes widened at who he saw carrying a stack of books and prancing gleefully around the library. With haste, Lloyd expressed his appall, "Y-you mean this whole time _Colette_ was our client?!"

"Not her, you idiot! I would never prank a lovely girl as Colette," retorted Zelos.

Curious, Lloyd said, "Then what about Sheena?"

"Sheena is… different," Zelos pointed out keenly. "Anyways, I was referring to the tense kid with messy hair behind Colette."

Taking another look around the bookshelf, Lloyd glanced behind Colette to see the youth Zelos was talking about. For a second time, his eyes widened in disbelief, "Y-you mean this whole time _Genis_ was our client?! B-but he's my best friend; I can't torture him!"

Zelos countered, "Hey, let's not use the word 'torture' for this. What we are doing is beneficial to the kid! After this he'll be enjoying the advantages of being excepted into society like you! … Or are you trying to hog the rights all to yourself?" His crimson eye-brow rose slightly.

"I am not!" Lloyd pouted childishly. "… I'd like for Genis to have the same advantages as me, but to do this to him… It just feels wrong." His lips formed a woeful frown as he stared at his silverette friend who was busy guiding Mithos and Presea in their direction.

"Here's our first stop, the Symphonia Academy Library," Genis announced cheerfully. "In this library, you can not only view and check-out books and documents, but you can also gain access to their computers and free internet connection if you prefer to use your laptop." He gave a soft chuckle. "I know I would. Ensuring my privacy and having secured work are among my top priorities."

"Well, that is convenient. In my hometown we did not have the technology necessary to acquire free internet access for all the students. I'm glad to know that we have the privilege of using such machinery along with checking out paperwork," Presea said.

"Of course, you'll need to scan your Student ID card first if you wish to use all these resources," Mithos elucidated.

"Really?" inquired Presea, cocking her head to one side. "How do you do that?"

"It's kind of like opening your dorm room. Come on, we'll show you!" Genis excitedly urged, leading them to the librarian's head-desk and further away from Zelos and Lloyd.

"He's getting away!" indicated Lloyd, his finger pointing at Genis' back.

Dully and sarcastically, Zelos remarked, "Thank you, Captain Platitude." Zelos tightened his grip on the trip-wire. "Don't worry, I have a back up plan." He smirked sinisterly.

As Colette came trudging lightly and happily across the library, Zelos tugged the trip-line, raising the wire off the ground and allowed it to hover in mid-air. And as faithfully true to her nickname, Clumsy Colette, her foot instantly snagged onto the wire, causing her to barrel forward and lose her balance.

"Uh-oh!" Colette cried, her books that were once cradled against her chest were now flying out of her grasp. Her arms that were now free from carrying books were now used as a cushion to the on-coming object that was in front of her, a push cart. To be more specific a push cart without its brakes on. When Colette's hands brushed up against the cart, she ended up pushing it forward and away it went, speedily wheeling through the library. It cruised untouched for the people who were before it had the smarts of staying out of its way, avoiding it at all costs. However, one person failed to notice the loose cart until it was too late.

Hearing the squeaking noises behind him, Genis spun around to find the cause, only to see a cart being driven into his stomach. Incapable of doing anything except to wince from the pain, Genis' upper body fell onto the metal cart and he rested his feet on the bottom rack. It carried him as it continued rolling across the library. But not for long because the cart was rolling toward a wall, a wall with a bookcase fixed to the wall. Genis could only close his eyes shut, waiting for the impact.

"Ahhh!" hollered the hurt silverette as the cart rammed his back into the bookcase. With its wild fiasco over, the cart slowly wheeled away from Genis, allowing him to sit his bottom down onto the carpeted floor. Although, because of all the commotion, the books that were on the bookcase wiggled out of their proper places and started to rain down in unison onto Genis' head.

Rushing to his side were Mithos and Presea, and once Colette had recovered from her fall, she too joined them.

Being apologetic to tears, Colette wept, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm so, so, sooo, sorry, Genis! Are you okay?!"

"N-not so much," Genis wearily responded. "… But on the bright side, I think that killed the nervousness in my gut." He beamed a half-smile.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

After cleaning up the books in the library, the trio began traveling through the halls to their next location.

"Man, I can't believe that happened to you, Genis!" Mithos exclaimed. "I mean, what were the chances of a runaway push cart in the library?"

"Eight percent," Presea robotically answered.

Both boys looked at her in amazement.

"H-how did you know that, Presea?" asked Genis.

"Careful deduction of factors, simple reasoning, and calculating using statistics," Presea simply replied.

"O-oh, I-I see…" the two boys said in sync.

Once they arrived in front of the right door, Genis took his Student ID and swiped it across the card slot, opening the door. The silverette stepped inside, "Here's the Science Lab! In here you're allowed to do experiments for your classes. Just be sure to clean up after yourself though. Oh, and right across from here is the Engineering Lab if you're wondering where you can create things."

"It's quite massive in here for a lab room," Presea said, scanning around the large empty area.

"Yeah, you'd think people would be in here doing experiments right now, but I guess not," Genis said, walking over to the item cabinet.

Mithos concluded, "Well, it might be because the rumors about Aster the Mad Sophomore Scientist are true. He always tends to go into the Science Lab at night with his accomplice Richter. Apparently those two are conducting experiments relating to monsters, so people avoid this room at all costs! Can you believe it?"

Genis groaned, interrupting Mithos' subject of mad scientists, "Where is it…" His eyes scanned the labels on the cabinet doors.

Noticing him, Mithos asked, "H-hey! What are you doing? We're not here to fiddle around with materials!"

"I know, I know. I'm just going to use some of the pain ointment they store in here," Genis explained. His eyes finally spotting the medicine cabinet, "Ah, here we go!" With both hands he opened the two doors, and to his dismay, out came two vials. They rolled off the shelves and fell onto the floor, shattering on contact and leaking a foul stench into the air.

"Ugh! What was that and why does it reek?!" Mithos complained, holding his nose.

Presea knowledgeably deduced, "I believe those are stink bombs."

"Aw, gross!" Genis shouted, holding the sleeve of his shirt to his face.

The three teens all clamored out of the lab, running outside for fresh air. And with them gone, out from the storage closet emerged Zelos and Lloyd, both wearing gas masks.

Zelos sang surprised, "Well, well, well~"

"One of my finest pieces of work, if I say so myself!" Lloyd bragged. "Made it the last time I was in Alchemy."

"Nice work their, Bud! I would have never thought to have used the old school stink bomb," Zelos praised.

"Well, I am pretty classy if I say so myself," the brunette said, soaking up the glory.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Outside on the academy field were Genis, Mithos, and Presea. All three of them had escaped the foul aroma of the stink bombs inside the lab room and were now gasping for fresh air. Lloyd and Zelos followed close behind them but not too close. To avoid getting spotted, they stayed away from their line of sight, hiding in between the metal supports of the rows of bleachers. There they sneakily waited to make their next move. But to their amazement, they weren't the only ones occupying the hiding spot.

"Lloyd?! Zelos?!"

Turning around they both noticed the raven-haired sophomore and yelled, "Sheena!"

Quietly, she scurried beside them, "What are you two doing here?!"

Zelos explained with a proud grin, "We're spreading the joys of Freshmen Initiation!"

"I should've figured that out," Sheena drearily said, "but you, Lloyd-- That's a shocker… Guessing he dragged you into his shenanigans, huh?"

Lloyd nodded then asked, "And I'm guessing you're here because you're doing your routinely ninja scouting?"

Sheena, astonished at what he said, forced a laugh, "Me, a ninja? Oh, don't be ridiculous!"

Zelos honestly told her, "Sorry, Sheena, but he knows."

"What? But how? Who?!"

"Colette," the two men bluntly answered.

Sheena sighed, hanging her head, "I should've figure that out too."

"I'll keep your secret safe, Sheena!" assured Lloyd, smiling widely. "You don't have to stress about anything; you can count on me."

"I sure hope so. I would hate to have to assassinate you because of it," grimly spoke Sheena.

Lloyd laughed loudly, "Haha! Very funny, Sheena. You had me going there for a second."

Neither Sheena nor Zelos said a word. They kept their lips shut and stayed silent.

"I-it was a j-joke… r-right?" asked a hesitant and frightened Lloyd.

But he would fail to get a proper answer for a scream erupted into the sky, "AAAHHHHH!!"

Everyone in the bleachers reeled their heads around to see through the metal supports and seats, hoping to see the source of the scream. And they did. In the middle of the grassy field was Presea and Mithos. However, Genis appeared to be missing. But after looking more carefully, they finally noticed two legs that sprouted out of the ground, flailing about. Presea and Mithos had surrounded a leg and began pulling on it as if they were trying to pluck carrots out of the ground. Apparently Genis had gotten himself stuck headfirst in a hole.

Smiling confidently, Zelos mumbled to himself, "I knew that planting another pitfall that day wasn't such a stupid idea."

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Inside the Music Hallway, Mithos dragged Genis over to a flight of stairs and set him down to rest. Now that they were finally inside, Genis could relax and clean himself from all the clumps of dirt that lingered in his hair.

"Ugh, I'm such a mess," Genis whined, patting out the pieces of soil that stained his silver locks. "It'll take a lot of tedious cleaning to get all of this out…"

Trying to be of use, Presea told him, "There is a water fountain near the Band Room if you wish to try to wash your hair out."

"Sure, why not?" Genis said, standing up from the step.

They made their way past the Band Room and proceeded to the water fountain.

"Well, there's the room where all the students go to play their instruments," Mithos pointed out from behind them. "It's pretty soothing to hear them practice actually. Can't wait 'til they finish recruitments, then they'll begin playing real well!"

"That seems delightful," Presea said.

"I'd like to hear the band too. Must be real nice," Genis joined in by the fountain. "Oh, hey, Mithos can you hold down the switch so I can have both hands free to wash my hair?"

"Yeah, sure," Mithos replied. He walked over to the fountain and pressed the switch. But as he did, a violin bow came shooting out of nowhere and collided right on his cranium. And when it made contact, Mithos immediately blacked-out, his body falling onto the tiled floor.

"Oh, shoot, Mithos!" exclaimed Genis, his face written with horror. He crouched down and shook Mithos' un-responding body. However, it was no use; the blond boy did not wake.

Quickly, Presea crouched down beside the fallen Mithos and diagnosed, "He is knocked-out and is suffering a mild concussion from being hit by a violinist's bow. We need to take him to the infirmary."

"But that's all the way on the other side of campus! I can't carry him that far!" Genis stated, panic seeping into his voice. _"What to do, what to do?!…" _Then the idea hit him. "Oh, I know! My sister can help!" He dug through his pockets and fished out his cell phone and began dialing his sister's number.

The pink-haired inquisitively asked, head tilted sideways, "Does your sister have the upper body strength to carry Mithos?"

Genis chuckled. "Uh, no. She's a teacher who has healing abilities. Even though she isn't a nurse, she's just as good, maybe even better!" he declared. His once worried face shined of hope.

"Hello, Genis?" came the voice of Raine through the phone.

"Ah, Raine! You see--" Genis started to explain the situation.

Meanwhile in the shadows of the ceiling tiles above were Lloyd and Zelos. They had just fired their violin bow from there and were now arguing in hushed voices about the results.

"Look what you made me do! I hit the wrong person!" Zelos nagged angrily.

"What?! I didn't do anything!" Lloyd protested.

"Oh, yes you did!" spat Zelos. "You told me it would be stealthier to do this up on the ceiling tiles, but all it does is screw with my accuracy to shoot in the dark."

Lloyd retorted, rolling his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Excuses, excuses."

"For the final scheme, we are doing it on ground-level where there's _light_! And no buts about it!" Zelos proclaimed.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"Owww… my aching head," cringed Mithos. He slowly opened his eyes. Above him was Professor Raine, looking down at him with concern. Standing around with smiles were Genis and Presea. They were grateful to see their friend awaken.

Laughing, Genis said, "It's funny to hear someone say my line."

"You enjoy it because I plan on not getting hit like that again," Mithos declared. With Professor Raine's help, he was assisted to his feet.

"Well, I hoped you weren't. You're going to need plenty of rest from a severe hit like that," Raine briefed the blond. "And I suggest that you stay away from any strenuous activities for the rest of the day. Come on, I'll help you to your dorm. I'll finish healing you there."

Mithos appreciatively thanked her, "Thanks, Professor Raine."

"Whoa, wait a sec!" Genis demanded. In a whisper, he told Mithos, "I can't fly solo! I'll make a fool of myself."

The blond chuckled lightly, "Don't fret. I think you've made enough of a fool of yourself already."

"H-hey!" refuted Genis.

"But seriously, you'll do just fine. I know you can do this," Mithos said reassuringly.

And then, Mithos left along with Raine who escorted him off to the dorms.

With his friend's words of encourage echoing in his mind, Genis gulped, thinking, _"Yeah, I can do this!"_ Confident and smiling, Genis turned around to face Presea.

Softly, she said to him, "We're going to the Art Room now, right?" Despite her words being monotone, her eyes that stared at him danced with a flare of eagerness and excitement.

Seeing her, Genis felt the return of something familiar bubbling in his gut. And no it wasn't gas from his lunch a couple hours ago. It was the sick feeling of apprehension that he dreaded so much and that he tired so hard to avoid getting. When he tried to open his mouth to talk, no words came out. It was just like the first day he met Presea; he was once again the stuttering, timid boy.

Instead of talking, Genis simply nodded quickly in hopes of answering her question without having to say a word.

A small smile broke out on her face, "That's good to hear."

"… _Or not…"_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Having left the scene of the crime at the Music Hall, Lloyd and Zelos swiftly made there way situated behind two plastic trash containers that sat conveniently near the entrance of the Art Room. They had hid several balloons filled with water in a container prior. From within a secret compartment on the trash bin, Lloyd pulled out the small bucket of water balloons and gave a couple to Zelos and picked a couple more for himself. Then - like every other plan before - they had to wait due to the fact that their 'client', Genis, was inside the Art Room, showing Presea around.

"U-um, s-so here's o-our last stop… This i-is our Art Room," Genis stuttered, rubbing his head in anxiety.

Presea was too absorbed with the massive room's décor of easels lined up in rows, drawings, paintings, and sculptures located across the walls and on display tables, the scent of paints and oils lingered in the air, and the sense of creativity and freedom. Without speaking, her body soon began to walk around the room subconsciously and her hands were outstretched, feeling each piece of art and equipment. As she did so, Genis once again noticed that look in her eyes as she continued to promenade through the Art Room. Her cobalt eyes were dancing yet again, glistening of enjoyment - something that he never saw depicted on her face. And it surprised him.

She came across on a table a stack of pieces of wood, and her eyes lit up upon seeing them. Instantaneously, she reached for a piece of wood and took up a stray chisel on the table and held it in her hand. Presea then walked over to an empty chair by an easel and started to carve away at the wood. Trying to get a closer look at to what she was doing, Genis silently maneuvered his way on beside her, taking the empty seat next to her. To his wonder, she seemed to not mind that he was fixated on her work. Presea simply continued carefully and gracefully carving into the piece of wood, chipping away piece by piece. Looking at her face once more, he saw that same blank expression on her face, but, in contrast, her eyes still danced that same flare. And then he finally understood. Presea may not express emotions through facial expressions, but when around a medium like sculpting, her cobalt eyes would become full of life and they portrayed the emotions that she did not emit.

"_She must've really enjoyed sculpting as a child,"_ Genis thought. A smile growing on his face.

The two sat there in silence with Presea carving away and Genis sitting there watching intently, even to the point where they had zoned out the rest of the word, leading them to not hear the sound of someone exiting the Art Room.

In the hallway, Lloyd immediately noticed the sliding door to the Art Room open, and so he instinctively nudged Zelos as a heads-up and yelled, "Fire!"

With all their might, Lloyd and Zelos chucked as many water balloons at the figure that had just exited the Art Room. When all their balloons had made contact, the two boys had victorious grins on their faces. But as they heard a loud shattering sound, they whipped their faces around and saw before them a horrid sight. Instead of hitting Genis with water balloons, the duo had ended up hitting a browned-haired girl, causing her to drop her fragile artwork and making that shattering sound.

The girl, wrecked with grief, looked down on her artwork and screamed, "Noooo, my Marble!! … My Marble Replica of Symphonia! It's ruined!!"

"M-marble?!" dumbly squeaked Lloyd, loathing the thought of having to pay for damages.

Casting a hateful glare, the brown-haired roared, "You, you're Idiot Irving!"

Lloyd muttered aside to himself glumly, "So that's what people know me as, huh?"

"You'll pay for what you did to my Marble!!" she exclaimed angrily.

"B-but it was an accident! Please understand," Lloyd pleaded with a mournful face. "Besides, I-I'm not the only one at fault! Look, Zelos helped--" The brunette looked to his side, expecting to see Zelos just as sorrowful. However, Zelos was not there, and he was completely out of sight. Lloyd then begun to feel sorry for his own self, _"Damn, Zelos… Leaving me behind like this."_

"To let someone like you get off easy… then my name isn't Chocolat!!!" the girl hollered, running toward Lloyd with full intentions of smacking him around.

"Ahhh!" Lloyd yelped, scampering away from Chocolat's deadly blows as they sprinted down the hall. _"He's really going to pay for this!!"_

Back inside the Art Room, both Presea and Genis stopped what they were doing and listened for a moment.

"Did you hear that?" Presea asked, worried.

"It might've just been the janitor," replied Genis. He then looked back down at Presea's work, finding it done. "Oh, you finished already?"

Presea nodded, "The wood was my sacred wood that I brought. Being as I'm familiar with it, the wood was quite easy to carve into." She raised her work up for him to see up close. There in her delicate hands was a miniature figurine of a KatzKatz.

"I-it looks awesome!" complimented Genis, smiling in approval.

"You really think so?" she asked him.

Genis chuckled, a faint blush on his cheeks, "I-I know so!"

Presea brought the KatzKatz figurine closer to her chest and closed her eyes, "You know, Genis… I think I might like it here in Symphonia." When she opened her cobalt eyes, she stared at his sapphire ones, grinning a half-smile.

The red hue on his face deepened, and he turned his attention away from her intense gaze. "Th-that's good," Genis stammered. But what he yearned to say rang throughout his mind, _"And I think I might like you, Presea…"_

* * *

****

Author's Note Time!

I actually wanted to re-state at the end of the entire chapter their individual results of their battles against misfortune and recognizing one's feelings, but I assumed you all could deduce that from the ending. And also, I blame myself for watching Grey's Anatomy too much. I was trying to go for a similar sense in presenting both Lloyd's and Genis' conflicts the way they do at the beginning of the show, but I don't think I got it down well enough. Eheh... Anyways, despite that, I hope you enjoyed and were entertained by my comeback chapter.

Lots of thanks again to tiger002 for giving me another suggestion to use in my story. This time it was the idea of Lloyd pranking back Zelos by taking all his right shoes and then sending it back to him in the mail. Kudos to you for your unending amount of ideas! Sorry I couldn't use all of your I ideas though. I try to squeeze those that I can and at the same time have the plot still flowing and make sense.

Once more, I hope you all did like the chapter enough because the matter of initiations is not over yet. The next chapter will be the final test of initiation for the entire gang.

****

Preview:

Next time on Symphonia School Days...

With the news of Freshmen Initiation up in the air, the freshmen boys - Lloyd, Genis, and Mithos - are up in arms against Zelos for his cruelty. To make amends, Zelos tells them that there is but one last test that they must undergo before they are accepted into academy society, and after that he promises that he will never pick on them again. Believing him, the entire gang go meet him at the place of final judgment... a Horror House. Will the gang persevere through the challenge or will they run away scared?

Find out in the next chapter, _"Horror House_"!

Even though I have yet to write it, I feel as if it'll be a good one. Until next time though, have an awesome one and a very Happy Easter to those that celebrate it! :3


	8. Horror House Part 1

Ohohoho~! I wish I could've seen your faces as you realized this was updated. How many of you thought I'd never, ever finish this chapter and post it on FF? I'm guessing a good lot of you, but no matter 'cause now it is here whether you hate me for being uber late or not. I heartfully apologize for not having this out the many times I said I would. Always remember that whatever release date I say is 99.9% of the time wrong. Eheh. Anyways, this delayed child of a chapter has got to be my most greatest and worst achievement on FF to date. It was originally conceived with a mindblowing_ 77 pages _and _49243 words _which were at size ten Times New Roman font. So yeah, for an author, I'm truly proud of this accomplishment. However, at the same time, I find that this chapter has many faults due to my motivation and caring for quality decreased as this chapter grew and grew. So please bear with any errors and the rushed writing found at the end. I will periodically make corrections and changes over time to fix as much as I can.

Although, after saying all that, the true star is not this chapter, but you guys! Without any of your continual support, I really would have not made or finished this chapter. So I have a round of applause for you all that have done so much for me~

**Kudos Corner: Serena Anges, Dr. Bob, tiger002, kikkiclow88, OkonoMiyagi, CorrineAri, C. Giselle**  
Thank you so very much for reviewing the latest chapters! For you to take time to not only read but leave a review too really helps my writing improve and motivates me. So I sincerely thank each and every one of you. :3

With the kudos passed out, I can finally get this chapter going. Enjoy as always, everyone. And I must warn you! This chapter is _very_ heavy in content, so expect intermissions and take some breaks 'cause this ride will be a long one. Don't forget about using your hot-keys Ctrl + "f" to jump back to your last spot. So kick back and grab a snack or two. And for all my reviewers, feel free to bust out Word and type out your reviews as you read.

Before I let you go though, I must confess that this may be _SSD_'s latest chapter for a good while. After writing so much for this chapter, I'd like to take a break from all this _SSD_ business and go write for _HE_. But this doesn't mean the end for _SSD_, not at all!

**Disclaimer:** All things Tales of Symphonia is owned by its respective owners. I own nothing as always.

And just to note, I have changed SSD's theme to be 'To _Reinvent_ Resonating Hearts', for this is actually more of Symphonia's story in a big blender of twists.

* * *

_**Ch. 8: Horror House ~ Part 1, Enter the House of Horror ~  
**_

* * *

During dire times, people start to wonder whether their actions were the right thing to do. Was it right to prank all those people? Was it right to get revenge? Was it right to be a good fellow student on _that_ day? And we continue to ponder about these questions that continue to cling onto our minds like a nasty wad of chewing gum stuck in a poor, unfortunate little kid's hair. Those types of questions are amongst the worst to run into because they are the toughest to get rid of. Most of them are usually left unanswered; however, few are given an answer. But, even so, that answer that you receive may not be the one you are searching for. In cases like that, you can end up running into even more questions about your actions than answers themselves.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Friday]**

The gang of men nervously stood before an abandoned building complex, their necks crooked back and heads tilted to the star filled skies as they stared upward at it in astonishment. The building before them was far from ordinary. For one, it tiered over ten stories high, soaring into the dark, ominous night sky and spanned one-hundred feet by one-hundred feet across the parameter of the wild weed infested grounds. The building itself had an old Victorian-like style and design, clearly visible from the stone columns and pillars that supported the overhang of the entrance as well as the crown molding that was present across the wooden sides of the building. However, such an old-fashion historical place wasn't what shook the teens to the core. It was the feeling of eeriness and dread that leaked from the building which caused the gang to freak out. The oak wood that had been used to construct the building's frame was overtaken by nature. The weeds and other various plants that surrounded the building had grown like mutant rabbits reproducing, casing the walls with vines and thorns. Along with the wild plants, fuzzy, earthy-green mold grew on the walls, giving off the pungent smell of rotting wood that floated around in the air. Holes were evident on the oak walls possibly due to a termite infestation over the years. And not only was the wooden frame changed by time and nature, but other parts of the building fell victim as well. The windows that once had panned the sides of each floor were now cracked or broken into and shattered completely. Those windows that were in such a bad condition had planks of wood nailed sloppily onto them at an attempt to prevent any of the elements to come seeping in. The shutters that had used to accompany the glass windows were now either non-existent or they were barely hanging on by a single nail, slanted and swinging once a gust of wind came by. On top of the overhang of the entrance was a small rooftop. There on the rooftop was the absence of ruby clay shingles, making it appear bare and naked as well as show off more wood damage underneath. The pillars that supported the overhang were made out of stone. But due to its constant exposure to the wind and rain, its sides were eroded away, leaving chips and bumpy, coarse edges into the granite stone. In total, the building was an abysmal wreck, a run-down and uninhabitable structure.

Looking at such a destroyed building, Zelos, Lloyd, and Genis gulped at the same time, hoping to down their rising fears in their guts. _"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to do that after all?" _the trio all thought in unison. Their faces all churned into a blend of terror and enigma.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

And sometimes, the new question that replaces the old one can be twice as much of a nuisance as the original was, for regret is one of the worst foes of a man's conscience.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Thursday]**

The day before, Thursday, was thought to have begun without troubles for Zelos Wilder. Once the events of being pranked by his roommate were over and an unspoken truce was met between them, the crimson-haired had assumed that peace had been finally set amongst the dorm-mates of Room 53. When he had fled from the Art Room's scene of water balloon bombardment on Wednesday, Zelos had paid no mind to the fact that his accomplice in crime hadn't followed him. In the end, he assumed that Lloyd had been smart enough to have escaped from the malicious hands of Chocolat using some other route. But if Lloyd hadn't done so and stayed to see her erupt in antagonism, he knew that the brunette would try to escape either way because if Lloyd had valued his young life, Zelos knew Lloyd would try to run away in a blink of an eye upon witnessing Chocolat's infuriated side. So for the rest of that day, Zelos had no second thoughts about abandoning his defenseless bud. In fact, after he had known for certain that he wasn't being pursued by the angry, hazel-haired sophomore, the red head did as he pleased, taking to his dorm and sleeping earlier than usual that night. Zelos had figured that he had played his part of spreading the Freshmen Initiation that Wednesday and found an early good night's rest fitting to his accomplishments. However, when he did wake up the next morning on Thursday, Zelos did not wake up to the normalcy of getting up from his bed and spotting the girls' track team jogging around campus outside his window. Instead, the crimson-haired fluttered open his maroon orbs to witness something far from the well-shaped women glistening with sweat from a morning jog; there parallel to his very eyes was a pale white face with bloodshot and lifeless eyes which had dark-black rings surrounding the eyelids and tired bags drooping downward from its sockets.

The only sound that came creeping out of the pale face's lips was a barely audible and choppy moan, "Uggaaahhh…" An invisible mist of rancid breath crept out as it did so, tickling Zelos' face and making his nose cringe at the awful smell.

Catching himself up close with such an ugly creature and its foul mouth, the red-head instantly reached for his fluffy pillow that rest behind him and smacked the pale faced intruder right in the cheek, yelling, "Ahhh! Zombie!" The force sent the figure spiraling off Zelos' bed, and thus causing a loud _Thud! _to disperse from the carpet ground where it made impact to throughout the rest of the dorm room. Getting up from his own bed, Zelos stood protectively on top of his mattress and was now wielding the pillow he had just used as a sword. "H-how did you like t-that, Zombie? … Y-you don't know what you're in for when going against me, the Great Zelos Wilder!" he daringly proclaimed, swaying the pillow viciously about. "Ha-ha!"

From below on the ground, the figure had recovered from receiving the hit to the face and the fall to the floor. It was obvious considering more moans came from it, but this time the sounds were quite muffled due to its pale face was now pressed onto the carpet floor since it lay flat on its belly, "Muha… ugafa… guaahhh…"

In hearing that muffled moan, Zelos froze. Something about that second moan had triggered his perception. The voice he heard was familiar to him and the feeling of that familiarity kept tugging at him within his chest. The crimson-haired just couldn't pin-point why that zombie thing stirring beside his bedside made him feel that way. Zelos then eased his grip, lowering his puffy pillow sword from a ready-to-strike stance to a relaxed one as he watched the figure intently. As soon as the zombie wearily pulled its pale face off the carpet and positioned themselves to sit upright, Zelos knew at once of the reason.

To Zelos' revelation, there parked on the floor was Lloyd, shaken up by the pillow to the face attack. With both hands, the brunette rubbed his head gingerly, trying to message his forehead that broke the fall. The cranium that the danger prone freshman was massaging was wrecked with unkempt brunette hair on top. It was unruly and jutting out in all different directions like a porcupine, unlike how the spikes usually are styled to his right side. Lloyd's hair also had the sheen of oil glistening off each and every strand. The clothes that he wore appeared to be the same exact uniform from yesterday, Wednesday, for they still had the same food stains from when he pigged-out on Zelos' lunch as the red-haired was distracted by the delivery man. He did that to make sure the red-head wouldn't catch him in the act of his sabotage; however, in doing so, he ended up getting a few noticeable stains dotting the top of his uniform from eating too fast. Once he finished examining him, Zelos easily concluded from the sight as well as the odor of sweat, trash, and cafeteria food the freshman emitted.

Zelos' conclusion: Lloyd Irving had not taken a bath and, as a result, was caked with yesterday's events all over him quite literally.

Indecisive as to what exactly to express, Zelos reflected a mixture disgust of seeing how filthy his room-mate was and confusion as to why he would want to be as nasty visually and aroma-wise in the first place. Unsure what to say, Zelos spoke with stupefaction, "… L-Lloyd?" The sophomore hopped off the bed of which he stood on, being careful to make sure to land safely on the floor. "W-what happened to you?" he inquired, tossing aside the pillow in his hands and approaching the brunette. Zelos was then met with the same bloodshot hazel eyes which he had woken up to.

"Well, what do you think happened?" an irritated Lloyd quipped, a cloudy eye of his twitching. The brunette rose to his feet, waving a blaming finger pointed in front of the red-head sophomore's nose, "You smacking me with a damn pillow is what happened!" His teeth were clamped together and his chest puffed up in resentment as he finished his accusation.

Afraid that Lloyd would actually explode, Zelos placed his two hands up in surrender, "Whoa, whoa. Easy there, Bud." He gently pushed aside Lloyd's finger of malice in hopes of calming him. "Geez, it's like you've been possessed by some demonic monster or something…"

Lloyd deeply exhaled the tension inside him, his chest deflating as he ended his rage. As calmly as he could, Lloyd smartly replied, "You too would be acting this way if you went through the hell I had to go through yesterday. And because of it I got zero sleep." A yawn then seeped through his teeth, supporting his claim.

"That would explain the pale face, black eyelids and cloudy, red eyes," the red-haired said to himself. "But how did you get no sleep? Didn't you flee from the scene of the final prank and come back to the dorms last night?"

Giving a sullen glare, Lloyd told Zelos, "Of course I did. But because Chocolat was chasing after me, I couldn't run back to the dormitory or else she'd know where I live… And then, more hell would ensue." The sleep-deprived teen shivered at the thought of being tortured by the likes of Chocolat. After the events of last night, he didn't want to see what else that snapped sophomore could do.

"What did you do to shake her off then?" Zelos asked, his curiosity at its highest peak.

"Well, you see—" and Lloyd began his tale.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Elsewhere down the halls of Dorm 3-C in Room 72, a blond freshman was stirring from his bed. Groggily, he slowly rose from his bed sheets and sat at the edge of his bed. The blond had been asleep for several hours since Wednesday afternoon because he was recovering from getting hit in the head. And because of such a long sleep, he had quite some trouble trying to shake off the urge to collapse back in bed. But after a few shakes of the head, he stayed awake and reached out to his bedside table, grabbing the object that had made him bedridden, a violinist's bow. He made sure to have taken it with him before leaving the Music Hallways to examine it at a later time. Now holding it in his hands, the youth stared it over. The bow was made of a rich type of wood that was sturdy, explaining why it had knocked him out in the first place. Although, with his fingers, he felt something out of the ordinary on the wooden bow. Spinning it around, the blonde's cyan eyes widened at the golden letters embossed on it.

At that moment, a _Click! _scattered throughout the room, ending the boy's fixation on the violin bow. His cyan eyes darted off to the doorway and spotted his dorm-mate happily walking in with a pleasant smile. The teen appeared to have just came from the showers for he was putting away his towel in the closet and was dressed in his academy attire.

"Well, good morning, Genis," the blond greeted.

"A good morning it is indeed, Mithos!" the silverette cheerfully chirped, turning around to beam a blinding, enthusiastic grin.

Mithos, forgetting about the bow in his hands, pointed out to Genis, "I'm assuming you did fine for the rest of the campus tours yesterday considering how joyous you are."

"Yup!" Genis nodded his head and flashed a thumbs up. "Everything went great for the rest of the day! Much better than the times you were there anyhow! Presea even sculpted a KatzKatz out of wood, and it was awesome!" Then the silverette started walking over to his own bed. As he did so, he joked, "You must just be some kind of bad luck charm to have caused me to embarrass myself so many times, Mithos. Haha!" When he got there he grabbed his satchel bag which was resting atop his pillow.

Remembering the bow in his hands, "I'd hate to burst your bubble, but I'm not a bad luck charm," Mithos stated. "In fact, I think there wasn't any bad luck at all during the tour." He outstretched the bow in his hands to let Genis see.

Quizzical, Genis spun around to face the blond, "What do mean 'there wasn't any bad luck'? What could possibly explain how I ended up humiliating myself so many times?" The silver-haired did not need to ask because he was given an answer upon spotting the set of golden letters glistening from the violinist's bow in Mithos' hands. Genis gawkily but swiftly walked towards the blond and snatched the bow, wanting to get a better look. Reading the letters over and over, Genis stuttered, dumbfounded, "I-it can't be! … Can it?" His sapphire eyes scanned his friend's cyan orbs for a more plausible answer.

Mithos sadly proclaimed, "I'd like to think it wasn't, but it is."

"Ahhh!" screamed the silverette, his hands pulling at his silver locks of hair. "I can't believe it! How could I… How could I have been so blind? I-I should've known that it wasn't a mere accident for me to have gone through all those 'mishaps'." He let go of his hair, letting his arms slump to his sides in disappointment.

"I personally thought you would've gotten suspicious about all the peculiar events," Mithos admitted grimly.

Sighing, Genis said, "Too bad I wasn't… I guess I was too preoccupied by the thought of showing Presea around that I wasn't analytic as I usually am. If I was, I would've avoided embarrassing myself in front of not only you two but the rest of the academy as well."

"Well, that's the price you pay when you are trying to be a 'good fellow student'," the blond remarked slyly.

Quick to pick up the implication, Genis turned away from him and retorted with folded arms, "Geez, Mithos, how long are you going to keep this up?"

"Until you admit your feelings or move on to someone else," Mithos bluntly put, a toying yet serious smile on his face.

"Forget that I even asked," Genis said with a sigh. He moved towards the blond and grabbed him by the wrist. "Now let's go! We've got to pay a little visit to the owner of this bow." The silver-haired indicated to the bow in his left hand and pulled his friend along with the other, leading the two of them out of Room 72.

"H-hold on a minute, Genis!" Mithos pleaded, tugging the silverette's sleeve to try and gain his attention as he was practically being dragged down the hall. Although, it was no use, Genis kept his clutch tight and his eyes focused on his goal. As a last attempt, Mithos hollered, "I'm still in my pajamas!"

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"Again, she wasn't fazed by my evasiveness! And so, I became desperate," Lloyd explained his story. He was so engrossed in narrating it that he even did hand gestures and replicated the experience. "When I rounded a corner, I pulled off the classic dive-into-the-closest-door-I-could-find trick. Immediately, I locked the door to make sure she wasn't going to barge in. Something I wasn't going to regret, because the next thing I knew Chocolat was pounding on the door with her fists and screaming, 'Open this damn door, Idiot Irving!' Being smart enough not to, I ended up having to camp out in that room for the entire night until this morning when she was gone."

"Why didn't you simply just crawl on the ceiling tiles or go through the air ducts like you normally would in an encased room?" asked Zelos.

"I would've…" Lloyd started. "But since it wasn't a regular room, I couldn't."

Zelos said nothing. He stayed silent, only giving a motion of the hand and a questionable look to keep Lloyd's explanation going.

"… Since it was a janitor's closet, it had no ducts or removable ceiling tiles above me," Lloyd finished with an embarrassed look.

"Yuck, no wonder you reek of garbage and chemicals! Pee-youuu!" Zelos disgustfully commented, waving his hand in front of his nose to keep any more wretched odors from entering his nostrils. Breathing through his mouth now, "Well, at least you remembered the rules of the trickster: 'Never let the recipient learn of your lair or else karma may follow.' So good for you, Bud!" Zelos praised, his lips curling into a smile. Then he placed a proud hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "If it wasn't for your rare use of judgment, she would've probably punished me too!"

"Don't you praise me!" Lloyd commanded, brushing off Zelos' hand. "You, of all people, don't deserve to get off so easy!"

Taken back by the outburst, Zelos gave-in to the brunette's whim, "Alright, alright, Bud. I won't praise you."

"Maybe I should've just brought her back here in the first place. That way you'd get the beating you wholeheartedly deserve as the mastermind of this entire prank-fest!" the brunette yelled, his anger boiling once more.

Zelos gasped in shock, "Oh no you wouldn't!"

"Ohohoho, yes I would!" Lloyd sang, a devious grin appearing on his face. He began ambling towards the crimson-haired, hands outstretched like an actual zombie to try and get a hold of him so he could take him to where Chocolat was. "C'mere, Chosen! It's time for you to get your just desserts!" he manically declared.

Fearful, Zelos yelped, "Y-you've got to be kidding, right, Bud?" The red-head laughed nervously, but he didn't see his room-mate doing the same. The brunette still approached him with that demonic smile and terrorizing look in his eyes. Gulping, Zelos slowly backed away from him and directed his back towards the door. Upon noticing such a close proximity to the exit, Zelos then decreed suavely, "Well, I believe you've had enough joking today. Time for my cue to escape on out of here!" Spinning around in a flash, Zelos raced for the door. But as he reached for the handle, his auburn eyes danced with disbelief as the handle began turning on its own. As the door clicked open, Zelos understood the situation too late, and Room 53's door swung open violently in a single swoop, knocking the poor sophomore smack in the face and sending him flying backwards across the room. Luckily to cushion his fall was the television and its stand in the corner of the room. Crashing into it, Zelos sprawled out in a daze, his head throbbing from getting hit both in the front and the back. "Ugghhh…" the red-haired moaned, regaining his bearings as he slowly rose to his feet, swaying left and right from the head trauma.

Storming into the doorway of Room 53 was a determined Genis Sage and his room-mate, Mithos Mortis, who was dragged here over his own desires of staying in their own dorm-room. The poor blond had a mortified expression on his face as he was pulled into the room, feeling uncomfortable about being here. Ignorant of what was happening before their entrance, Genis released his grip on Mithos and stood by the doorway as to prevent anyone from leaving the vicinity. The silverette, raising the violin bow, pointed at the hurt red-haired sophomore using the bow, indignantly bellowing, "Zelos! We've got a bone to pick with you, and we are not going to leave until we settle this!"

Groaning, Zelos whined, "Ugh, not more people and their complaints…" He rubbed his temples as to try to sooth his pain.

"You recognize this violin bow don't you?" Genis asked, referring to the one in his hands.

"Uh," the sophomore glanced at the object quickly, then with a shake of the head, "nope. Sorry, doesn't ring a bell. Now, could you all please leave? You two are in my way of escaping." Zelos began motioning to Genis and Mithos who stood by the doorway, using his hands to shoo them away. However, it was pointless because the two young teens stood defiant and unwavering.

"Well…" Genis said, reeling back the hand that held the bow. Positioning his feet correctly, the silverette placed himself in a pitcher's position. When he rose his front leg, he readied his right hand which held the bow and distributed his weight to his back leg. And as his front leg fell back down to the carpet floor, his left arm came protruding towards Zelos and then swooped down to his side, transferring his weight from his back leg to the front. As he did so, his right hand that was snapped back whipped ahead of him, chucking forward the violin bow and finishing a perfect pitcher's throw, "Then does _this_ ring a bell?"

The bow spun around and around as it flew right into Zelos' forehead. Once it made contact with a nasty _Thwack!_, Zelos held his cranium, rubbing the area of impact. "Ahhh! Why the hell did you do that for you little, you little—" the red-haired sophomore struggled for an insult. But then, it came to him just like the bow had. He chuckled, finding the perfect nickname, "You little _Brat_."

"B-brat?" Genis commented, appalled at such a title. "You have no right to call me that, especially after all those pranks you pulled!" His right hand was balled into a fist, waving threateningly in front of him.

"Pranks? What pranks?" the red-head said innocently with a shrug.

"Oh, we know that it was you, Zelos, so stop acting innocent! After Mithos spotted that name on the violin bow, it was an easy deduction to figure out who the culprit was," explained Genis.

Grabbing the bow from the ground, Zelos looked at the golden embossed name on it. It simply read, 'Wilder'. "Well, well, props to Blondy for noticing my last name," Zelos applauded. "But I've gotta tell you, this isn't mine. I don't even play an instrument."

Hiding in Genis' shadow, Mithos asked, "Then why does it say 'Wilder' on it? It has to be yours."

"It's because this violin bow is my sister's," Zelos simply explained.

"You have a sister?" Genis and Mithos asked together. Lloyd, who was silent throughout the entire spectacle, didn't say a word but was also surprised in hearing that, clearly shown by his agape mouth.

"Yeah, her name's Seles Wilder. She's my stepsister," the red-haired informed, pocketing the wooden bow. "I had borrowed it from her the other day—"

Out of the blue, Lloyd interrupted the conversation, exclaiming, "Ah-ha! So you _were_ the culprit to all those pranks then!" His finger was once again extended, pointing to the elder accusingly.

"Oh, don't go trying to rat me out, Bud!" Zelos hissed, disappointed in his cohort. "You did your fair share of helping me prank."

"Is that true, Lloyd?" earnestly asked Genis, his eyes shinning of hopefulness that Lloyd wasn't apart of the escapades of yesterday.

Seeing the silverette, Lloyd felt a pit of regret for all his misdoings to his best friend. Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, the brunette prepared himself for the truth, "I'm sorry to say this but…" He paused, taking a breath. "Zelos was the mastermind to the entire Freshman Initiation pranks! He forced me to be a cohort; I had no say in it."

"W-what?" Zelos clamored, stunned at hearing such an announcement. He couldn't believe that his partner had double-crossed him like that. "H-how could you betray me like this?"

"I did say 'it's time for your just desserts', didn't I?" questioned Lloyd, his eyebrow raised in being so sly. "Besides, I'd rather tell the truth and get a minor lecture from Genis about wrong-doings than continuing to do evil with you."

"Wow, for once, you had some good judgment, Lloyd," Genis acclaimed.

"For your information, this is my second one today. Thank you very much," Lloyd proudly stated, his arms crossed. "And now, for you, Zelos… Your just desserts!"

As Lloyd declared that, both Genis and Lloyd crept closer to the red-head while Mithos manned the doorway, all of them wanting to return the favor for all the mayhem they were put through. Being backed up by the television and no way out, Zelos was pinned in the corner and his only choice was to surrender to their ways of torture. However, the red-haired sophomore wasn't going to give in so easy. He wasn't going to be beaten by some freshmen, especially not these freshmen which were so undoubtedly prank-able to begin with. Surely, that would seem foolish if he was defeated by them. To ease the qualm in his stomach, Zelos ended his cowering in the corner and proclaimed, "Not so fast!"

Halting in their tracks, the two predators stopped and listened to Zelos.

"You see, I'm not one to go out so easily without a fight. No matter how bad it gets, I'll still be cocky as ever for I have an ace that no one else has!" he pronounced, the fear gone from his voice.

"An ace?" the trio repeated, confused.

"Yes," Zelos continued, "an ace of the _black_ suit and _mail_ class." A confident smile glistened from his face, annoying the freshmen to a great extent.

Knowing what he meant, Genis and Mithos both wore worried faces while Lloyd, on the other hand, was clueless. Dumbly, Lloyd spoke, "An ace of the _black_ suit and _mail_ class… what the hell does that mean?"

Everyone, looking over to Lloyd, gave him mystified stares. Genis sighed before explaining, "Zelos' ace is _blackmail_, Lloyd. _Black-mail_."

Finally understanding, Lloyd's expression of confusion melted into that of dissatisfaction. Sarcastically, he said, "Well, isn't that grand. That definitely dowses any plan of us getting back at him." The brunette deeply sighed.

"Right you are, Bud!" Zelos exclaimed. "It's either that or you punish me right now and then later," the red-haired rustled through his pockets, whipping out things, "I'll post these babies worldwide on the academy site!" He flashed to the freshmen several pictures from the past weeks of school, a majority of them ranging from Lloyd's humiliation to more recent ones of Genis' head burrowed in a hole as well as Mithos getting knocked out by a violin bow. Recognizing those photos in a heartbeat, the three underclassmen jumped up at the pictures, grabbing them and shredding the evidence using their hands. Prepared for that, Zelos cooed, a cunning smirk on his face, "You do know those aren't the only copies of those, right? I've got tons more elsewhere."

Defeated, the three teens could do nothing now but to listen to the sophomore's deal.

"You bastard," spat Lloyd, his teeth grinding in a resurgence of rage.

"Calm down, Lloyd," commanded Genis, his arm outstretched in front of the brunette to prevent him from doing anything hasty, "let's listen to what he has to say."

Gravely, Zelos declared, "Alright, here's the deal. You guys can let me off the hook for all those things I did to you all, and I won't post these embarrassing photos of you three on the internet for the entire world to see."

"Sure, we'll do—" Genis began to accept those terms but then was interrupted.

"Nah-ah-ah," Zelos sang, waggling a disapproving finger around. "Not only that, but you've got to pass the final test. When you've done that, you'll get my respect and you'll be accepted into academy society. And I promise not to pick on you guys ever again. That is prank-wise at least."

"And what's this final test you have in store?" Lloyd asked.

With his smirk resurfacing, Zelos spookily said, "You three as well as the girls must go through the _Horror House_!"

"H-Horror House?" squeaked Mithos, evidently not liking the idea.

"Is that it?" mentioned Genis. He appeared to have no fears.

Lloyd, the most courageous of the three freshmen, proved to be the most valiant, decreeing, "It's a deal then! Bring on this 'scary' Horror House of yours!"

"Meet me at the entrance of the old, abandoned housing complexes on the far northern part of the academy tomorrow at eleven at night then," Zelos said. "Or else, be forever plagued by the Freshman Initiation!" After announcing all that needed to be said, Zelos tried to exit the room by swerving in-between the trio. Although, when he tried to do so, they kept stepping in front of him, trying to keep him boxed in the corner of the dorm-room. His uneasiness returning, the crimson-haired asked, "Uh, guys? How about the part of the deal of letting me go?"

Irritatingly, Genis repeated, arms folded over his chest, "Nah-ah-ah," singing it in the same exact tone as Zelos did.

"_That_ wasn't a part of the deal," mentioned Mithos, wagging a finger.

"I believe your exact words were 'let me off the hook for all those things I did to you all' and not 'let me go peacefully'," smartly remarked Lloyd. He reflected a similar smirk that Zelos had once wore previously.

Zelos grimaced at the situation. He was being beaten by his own game of twisting up a scenario. And this time, his adversaries had trumped him, using the rules of deal-making to their advantage. The red-head could only watch as the trio proceeded with threatening looks towards him. Out of habit, Zelos glanced around all three of them, trying to find a way out of this mess. As a good trickster, he had picked up this trait and was able to swiftly figure a way out of things. Even now was no exception. With a way of saving his hind in mind, Zelos put his plan into action. "H-hey, Mithos! Are those KatzKatz brand pajamas?" the red-head excitedly asked.

Whirling their heads in Mithos' direction, they all examined the cute KatzKatz faces that adorned his set of green pajamas. They were too busy with dealing with Zelos that they had not noticed the furry faces that made his pajamas tacky and flamboyant, causing Mithos to stick out like a sore thumb from the group. Each and every feline was colored in different bright colors and depicted delighted faces on the pajamas, some even screeching out a 'Meow!'. Humiliated by the fact that Genis had made him leave without changing, thus exposing his beloved pair of KatzKatz sleeping clothes to his classmates, Mithos could feel his face heating up in embarrassment. In his defense, the blond spewed, "I-it was on sale!" His cheeks turned a deep shade of rosy-red.

"I didn't know you liked KatzKatz, Mithos," commented a surprised Genis.

"Well, isn't that _adowable_," teased Lloyd. The brunette imitated a kitty cat by clawing at the sky, infuriating Mithos. "Meow!"

"C-cut it out! I-it's not f-funny!" the blond stammered, hiding the pictures of the KatzKatz on his chest with his arms.

But despite that plea, Lloyd continued to laugh obnoxiously at the blond while Genis tried to retain his chuckles in his mouth with his hands. Once their fits of laughter died down, the trio had noticed something was wrong.

"H-hey, guys… Where's Zelos?" Mithos asked.

They all swiftly scanned the room, searching for the red-head. But alas, the sophomore was sneaky and had fled the scene just like he had by the Art Room.

"Damn it!" Lloyd cried, realizing what just happened. "That's the second time he's done that to me!"

Genis sighed. "I guess we'll just have to meet Zelos by the abandoned housing complexes tomorrow instead of getting our revenge. Man, this is such a letdown…"

"No kidding," Lloyd agreed. He raised a blaming finger to the KatzKatz pajama boy, "It's all Mithos and his KatzKatz pajamas fault!"

"M-me?"

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Friday]**

An unnerving gust of wind brushed by the three teens standing before the abandoned housing complex, enticing them into the depths of the building with a push on their backs. A chilling howl resounded as the wind whistled by them, tickling their ears. To Lloyd, this gust of wind was reminded him of the one he felt when he first arrived at Symphonia as he stood by the fountain. That wind then had been a calming breeze, pleasant and gentle. However, these winds that pushed on the back of the brunette now did not feel at all the same as before. The gust was forceful and unrelenting as it tried guiding them inside the building. It was if the winds were angry and wanting them to enter the complex. But the teens, being rueful of their decisions, planted their feet firmly on the dirt ground like the wooden stakes of a tent. They were not planning to go inside that building just yet, not even if it seemed 'inviting'. Besides, they weren't just going to blindly waltz into a forbidden place no matter how tough they depicted themselves to be originally and surely not without the rest of the gang either. It would be rude to do that to them now wouldn't it. They would miss all the fun if the guys did that. And so, the three boys, Lloyd, Genis, and Zelos, awaited their friends in silence, each of them wondering if the other was experiencing the same sense of fear as to not feel so lonely on the matter.

The trio of guys would not have to wait any longer, for a few minutes later into the night footsteps could be heard from behind them. Turning around, they spotted through the thick shrubbery Mithos trudging down the dirt pathway along with the girls, Colette, Presea, and Sheena, who were trailing behind the blond boy and wearing curious expressions on their faces. Being the one with the least amount of pranks done onto him, Mithos was honored with the task of rallying up the girls and bringing them to the horror house. This allowed Lloyd and Genis to search for Zelos earlier that day and personally make sure he himself wasn't go to back out on his deal. However, leading the girls there wasn't that easy of a task as Mithos had thought to begin with. The blond boy simply strung the girls along with an alibi of Zelos wants to show everyone a spectacular sight tonight, although he had forgotten how skeptical Sheena could be, especially when the situation relates to Zelos.

"Seriously, Mithos!" complained Sheena, getting rowdy and impatient. "Where is this 'spectacular sight' Zelos wants us to see?"

"Don't worry, we are almost there," Mithos sincerely told her as he pressed onward.

As always, Colette, being the joyful bundle of enthusiasm she is, skipped happily at the thought of being so close to their destination. "Oooh~ I wonder if it's as spectacular as the Great Kharlan Tree!"

Robotically and analytically, Presea commented, "The chances of witnessing something as magnificent as the Great Kharlan are slim. 0.27 percent to be precise."

"Really?" asked the blond-haired girl. "But you never know if that's true for sure! Beauty as grand as the Great Kharlan Tree can be possible in all things. Isn't that right, Sheena-senpai?" Her head curved to the raven haired sophomore.

"I have to agree with Presea on that one," Sheena responded honestly, causing the innocent blond to become slightly taken back and saddened. "And knowing that pervert, the sight won't be spectacular in the sense we're thinking of…"

Interrupting the conversation, Mithos announced, "We're here." He pushed aside the branches of a large bush, creating a pathway to the awaiting group.

The girls, thanking Mithos for the kind gesture, passed by him and shared nods of acknowledgement. Once they reached the other side, they were met with the faces of the trio of Lloyd, Genis, and Zelos, all standing in the same exact spots minutes beforehand but each had different greetings. Lloyd rubbed the back of his head, smiling an awkward, tense grin. Genis shuffled his feet, kicking at the dirt below before waving a hesitant and shy wave, flashing a tiny smile as he did so. On the other hand, Zelos took the initiative to formally welcome the girls. Taking a few steps to them, the red-head bowed in a gentlemanly fashion. When he rose upright, he declared, "I see you three fine women have finally decided to arrive. I thank you for your attendance." His alluring smile broke out on his lips.

"So where's this 'sight' you want to show all of us? After walking all the way from the other side of the campus, I believe we deserve to see what we came for," Sheena stated with her hands poised at her hips. "And it better not be perverted like you."

"Ouch, Sheena," Zelos said, putting a hand over his heart. "Must you be so cold and demanding?"

The raven haired sophomore stayed quiet, only displaying a displeased look on her face.

A brief sigh later and Zelos told them, "Fine, you all want to see the sight?" Receiving a nod from Presea and an ecstatic Colette, the crimson sophomore moved to his side and threw both of his arms to the building before them. "Here it is!" he energetically exclaimed.

"Uh… an old building?" Colette spoke hesitantly, staring at the structure. Disappointment could be heard in her voice and a confused frown slowly formed on her face.

"Considering its condition and design, it appears to be an old housing complex from when the academy was first formed," Presea concluded smartly. "This place may just have been the exact housing complex where all the students would reside in back then. However, it is quite evident that no one inhabits it anymore."

Sheena, not amused, said, "Hmph, figures. It's to be expected that Zelos would show us a building that is old and crusty like him."

Hearing the comment, both Lloyd and Genis began to chuckle and snicker between one another. They had to admit, that was a pretty good burn on Sheena's behalf. For one, it demoralized the domineering sophomore Chosen. And not only that, but it was also funny, to which Zelos disliked, evident from the fact that he appeared to have faint red hues of anger dotting his face and his teeth grinding as he tried to regain control of the situation. It was no doubt that the sophomore was on the verge of fuming.

Taking deep breaths to calm himself, Zelos retorted with a hand on his chest, "Very funny, my hunny. But this building is no where near young and flawless as I! In fact, this is not just an old housing complex as Presea had revealed." The red-haired stopped, creating a dramatic pause and taking the chance to alter his voice into a more sinister and chilling one. "It's a _Horror House_! Ooooh~ Scaaary!" he exaggeratedly said, his hands stretched out to the gang and fingers moving in a tentacle-like fashion. Although, Zelos' attempt at sending fear surging down the underclassmen's and Sheena's spines was thwarted. None of the people had found Zelos' gesture scary in any kind of form or matter. It was more like a brief moment of amusement and bewilderment mixed up together, making blank stares appear from the girls and open mouths of awe from the guys. Seeing the spectacle, the crimson-haired's head sunk. Out of his mouth escaped a defeated sigh, "Geez, you guys truly are no fun at all when it comes to haunted places are you?"

"Haunted?" Colette repeated, a thinking finger rested below her bottom lip as she thought to herself, remembering her past. "The only place I've been to that's haunted is the Iselia Temple."

"A temple, huh? Then it must be filled to the brim with spirits, right?" Zelos asked, enthralled to have someone finally join in on his bandwagon of frights.

"Yes! Yes, it is," Colette answered with nods of certainty, her faint smile brightening the night. "The temple is occupied by many kind spirits of the Church of Martel."

"K-kind?" Zelos re-stated, saddened. He wasn't getting anywhere close to his desired understanding between the girls. A sigh and a light smack to his forehead, he continued, "I don't think you're grasping this Horror House vibe that I want you to get, Colette."

Presea intervened, trying to get a comprehensible explanation across, "I believe this vibe that Zelos is trying to convey is one of unimaginable fright from dreadful encounters with evil spirits, not kind ones. And so, the overall result would cause us all to be terrified, even screaming perhaps."

"Oooh, I see!" Colette admitted, her eyes alive with understanding.

Wavering in disbelief, Sheena expressed her boredom, "I still don't see what's so great about this housing complex. It may be old, but I can't see how it's haunted. Honestly, I think this is all a waste of time sitting around outside just watching this place rot back into the earth as compost."

"Well, Sheena, tonight is your lucky day for experiencing the wonders of the night because admiring this building is not the only thing our agenda. Tonight we enter and traverse the Horror House, scaling toward the rooftop above!" Zelos pointed out. "And along the way up to the rooftop, be prepared to witness the works of the fourth-kind. In many stories, they say that before this building was even built these were the exact grounds where the purebreds and half-elves fought for supremacy of the Great Kharlan Tree. However, in this battle, several lives were lost, and their bodies were left to decay in the bloodshed earth. As a result, their spirits were not left to rest, causing supernatural events to occur right at this spot we stand on. And as you all may know by now, this complex was built when Symphonia's Academy was originally erected, making this the very first and only housing apartments for students at the time. The legend says that by placing our dormitory here we have angered the spirits even more to the point where at every full moon the departed spirits come out to avenge themselves for dying without a proper farewell. It is known to many as the rise of the undead!"

"Oh, Martel, not more creepy stories relating to wandering spirits!" Mithos screeched from behind the trio of ladies. "… We get enough of that at school with the things Aster and Richter are brewing up about all things monsters."

"Pah-leeze!" sarcastically spat Sheena, swatting her hand at the preposterous red-head and his ideas of the undead. "I can see more undead in Lloyd after a round in Artes class than in this meek 'Horror' House."

Again, the two freshmen boys, Lloyd and Genis, picked up the comment, the duo laughing at the second comment. Their snickering and giggles present like before; however, Lloyd wasn't all that slow. After a few seconds of hilarity, the brunette caught on to who the remark was aimed at, which was right at his warrior's pride. With his hurt spirit, Lloyd countered defensively, "H-hey! I am _not_ that wiped out after Artes class!"

Ignoring the response, Sheena continued, yawning, "Like I said, nothing but a waste of time being out here. Come on, Colette, Presea, let's get going. We have better things that we could be doing than staying here." Once she said that, she spun around on her heels, passing by Mithos and pushing aside branches of bushes to try and create another pathway. Following behind her without any complaints were Presea and Colette, the two figuring that it was truly pointless to stick around any longer, especially in the dead of night.

Having second thoughts of this entire Horror House scandal, Mithos caved into his fears, yelping out, "Y-yeah! Sheena-senpai's right. It would be best to go on our marry way elsewhere." In a flash, he trailed behind the line of girls, apparently in a rush to get back to civilization after listening about another dread inducing fable. "I-I mean, it is a Friday night after all. We could be doing something more productive like studying."

Lloyd immediately scoffed, a hint of laughter lingering in his throat, "Yeah, like I would be caught studying."

"He's got a point there. And I have nothing to do tonight either," Genis admitted, having no positive words that would support his room-mate's suggestion.

Softly exhaling, Mithos was downhearted that the two guys did not join him to leave this peculiar rundown place. Yet, even so, Mithos was still eager to depart from them even if they did not wish to leave themselves. "Well, I guess that's your guys' loss then. See you tomorrow morning, guys!" the blond boy bid his farewell, waving a swift hand goodbye. In a blink of an eye, the freshman was scurrying off through the bushes, fleeing. However, what the blond didn't know was that Zelos had prepared for a scenario like this. Spontaneously just as Mithos broke out into a sprint, a hand extended out from a prickly, leaf ridden shrub, clutching onto Mithos' uniform collar and powerfully tugging him back in front of the house. Stunned and off-balance, the blond could not counter the force and fell onto the dirt ground, landing on his bottom and dispersing sand and dust.

The owner of the hand, Zelos, brushed off his palms of the cruel act he committed. "Have you forgotten the deal so quickly, Mithos?" the crimson-haired questioned, red eyebrow raised. When he received only a confused stare in return from the young blond, Zelos continued, "Well, consider this your first and last warning. Try to flee again and you will suffer the consequences." This time Mithos answered with a gulp and violent nods of his head. Surely he now wouldn't forget about _that_ part of the deal. Zelos, raising his head toward the rustling undergrowth from where the girls had wandered off to, he loudly declared, "The same goes for you, my hunnies!"

Over the sound of the slashing greenery, Sheena's voice boomed into the night sky, echoing, "You're bluffing!"

"I can't really say I'm bluffing when I'm holding all the cards in my hand… or should I say _photos_?" the crimson-haired teasingly said. His eyes glistening of mischief as he smiled at the upcoming victory.

"… What do you mean by 'photos'?" the raven-haired curiously asked. The rustling of branches disappearing into complete silence.

Zelos began shuffling through his pockets for the pictures. "I've got the photos of you when you experienced your first 'fall' in Symphonia. And boy did your 'fall' go 'well'! I can't wait to see the rest of the academy's impression of this!" he stressed, fanning the photos out like a deck of playing cards in his hands.

And just like that, as fast as Mithos had tried to escape, Sheena sprinted back to the clearing in front of the building, jumping several feet high out of a thick wall of vegetation and into the air, causing leaves to disperse about as she did so. Her seamless run through the bushes and graceful downward landing before Zelos' face was quite impressive to the boys, shocking the freshmen considerably that she could perform such a feat. Sheena truly had the genes of a ninja, and it clearly showed.

Without a single hint of tiredness from the run in her voice, Sheena gravely commanded, "You wouldn't dare." Her tone of voice stung Zelos' ears like the venom of sidewinder.

But even so, Zelos managed to gather the courage to counter her. Cooing the red-head grinned, triumphantly, eyebrow raised provokingly, "Or would I?"

The snapping of branches and twigs amidst the bushes behind them interrupted their conversation for a split moment, their heads turning ever so slightly to the side to see who was making their way back into the clearing. As they had anticipated, Colette and Presea had dawdled on their way back to the group. They both were startled at Sheena's abrupt leave and had returned to find the reason why.

Unsurely, Colette called out as she and Presea stepped through plants, "Uh, Sheena-senpai? Is everything okay?"

Once the red head has seen those young freshmen girl's faces poking out from the bushes, Zelos instantly got another sadistic idea, his lips curling even more to shape that shrewd grin on his face, "Maybe I'll even include embarrassing pictures of Colette and Presea as well along with yours?"

Fed up by his teasing attitude and constant blackmail, the raven-haired snatched up the pictures from the sophomore Chosen's grasp, her calm exterior shattering with each and every tear of the photos that she made with her hands. _Rip! Rip! Rip! _was the sound of the photos as Sheena kept on her assault, degrading the images to nothing but small scraps. And to lessen its value even more, the kunoichi tossed the remains up into the air carelessly. Her amber eyes watched the pieces like descending confetti, arms outstretched as she thoughtlessly spun around in a full circle. An emerging on Sheena's lips was a smile, a smile of relief. If no one had knew any better, one could amble into the clearing and assume that it had been Sheena's birthday. But the gang, who had been witnessing the entire spectacle, knew better. Despite the scene, they knew Sheena was far from the happy go-lucky birthday girl that people see in party photos. Not even her pseudo smile could hide that aura of anger radiating from her.

As if testing her composure, the crimson haired pointed out with a taunting smile, "You are fully aware that those weren't the only copies, right, Sheena?"

Her arms fell to her sides as she viciously replied, trying to hold back the accumulated rage seeping through her gritted teeth, "Don't you try me any longer, Zelos."

Free from the many prickly branches and vines, Colette and Presea had finally made their way back to the circle of people watching Zelos' and Sheena's conversation. Again, Colette said, "Is everything okay?"

"A-actually, maybe we should stay. It isn't every night that we can sneak out and experience a night of horror. And besides if we turn back now we might get caught being out after curfew." Sheena answered, that same pseudo smile reflecting off her face. And to her shock, Colette fell for it.

Innocently, the blond girl nodded, believing her senpai, "Okay, I guess I'll stay around then too. What about you, Presea?"

"Considering that Sheena-senpai has informed us of the possibility of getting caught after curfew, it would be wise of me to stick around as well," the pink-haired girl confirmed.

"Now that's settled, let's enter the Horror House!" Zelos excitedly announced. Using his arms he pointed to the entrance, "Ladies first?"

Taking the offer, the youngest of the girls, Presea and Colette, dawdled to the tall wooden doors of the complex, meeting up with a waiting Lloyd, Genis, and Mithos who stood by the doorway. Although, Sheena stayed behind, silently standing alongside Zelos. She was lost in her mind at how simple it was to convince the lowerclassmen to stay, even to the point of speechlessness.

To shake the raven-haired out of her trance, Zelos leaned to her ear and whispered, "Nice choice on changing the girls' perception. If not, you three would've been in a lot of mess."

"Just can it, Zelos?" Sheena quipped, her arms crossing as her eyes sharpened. "And don't forget. You _will_ pay for this!"

All the red-haired sophomore did was cockily grin. He had no worries about what Sheena would do. Zelos believed that she didn't have neither the guts nor the heart to pull off a punishment fitting for his cruel ways. And so, as the two elders re-grouped with the gang by the entrance, Zelos continued to wear his proud smile and Sheena a rueful frown.

"Finally," Lloyd whined, raring to get inside, "we're entering now, right?"

"Right you are, Bud. But first, let me unlock the door," Zelos said, stepping across the porch and standing right in front of the lofty double doors. He shuffled through his pockets and pulled out an old, rusty key, popping it into the keyhole and turning it. As a reverberating _Click!_ indicated the door being unlocked, Zelos tried to turn the doorknob only to find that he couldn't open the door even if the locks were, well, unlocked. Puzzled, Zelos pocketed the key, scratched his head, and pondered aloud, "… The door won't budge, hmm?"

"That's probably because it's bolted shut with planks of wood. They did that for the windows so it's only logical that the same would be for the entrance," Mithos keenly mentioned.

"Whoa, good conclusion, Mithos!" Genis praised with a slight smile.

Zelos shortly applauded and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, good going, Blondy. But that still leaves us with the same problem. How do we get inside?"

Unsurely, the brunette boy suggested, "Can't we just bust down the door? It isn't like anyone will care if this place gets damaged more than it is now, right?"

"Lloyd has a point," Sheena admitted, "but who has the strength alone to barge through massively thick wooden double doors!"

"I surely don't," Colette said, frown faced. Her face then brightened at a thought, "Although Presea might since she specializes in gathering sacred wood! Can you, Presea?"

The taciturn, pink-haired girl shook her head side-to-side, "Negative. I may be able to carry heavy sacred wood; however, with my small size compared to those double doors, I could not possibly have the strength required to open such a large surface."

The group's moral dropped along with their sagging heads. If the transfer student who's an expert at hulling sacred wood didn't have the power to force open the doors, then who does? Releasing simultaneous sighs, the group pulled back up their heads. They all looked to one soul as a final plea of hope, Zelos.

Noticing their pleading stares, Zelos slightly jumped at the sudden attention. He took a step back and frantically waved his arms in front of him, "Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa! I am not, will not, and cannot pry open those doors for you! Sorry, but the Great Zelos Wilder doesn't lift a finger for _anyone_. And that puppy-eyed look isn't going to help change that!" He crossed his arms in defiance and tilted his head pompously to the night sky, leaving the gang swimming once more in depression.

Judging by Lloyd's, Genis', Mithos', and Sheena's identical expressions of worry, they all weren't liking the way things were going. One thing was lingering on their minds, and that was Zelos' blackmail. If they couldn't enter and explore the Horror House, the four of them and including Colette and Presea, would be deep in a different kind of horror, the horror of embarrassment. And thought of that, made their anxiety even worse to the point of being incapable of forming a plan to get themselves out of this mess. However, there was a surprising break through in one of the teens. It wasn't the idea that was surprising but actually the person.

In his mind, Lloyd, despite as panicked as he was, was brewing up an idea in the making. _"Man, oh, man!" _he hollered to himself, his heart-rate pulsing to extreme speeds. _"If we don't get inside that Horror House, we'll be screwed and the entire academy will see those embarrassing pictures! What to do, what to do!"_

Peering over to see how the other guys were coping, Lloyd witnessed Genis pacing like a madman, the young youth yanking at his silver locks in frustration. He obviously wasn't thinking straight either. And standing near the silverette was Mithos. The thought of being pinned between blackmail and venturing in a haunted building left the blond boy devastated. Mithos had given up thinking of a plan and demeaned himself to a shaking pillar of fear mere moments away from crumbling to dust. If Lloyd decided to stick around watching the site of the blond any longer, the brunette swore he would find Mithos fallen on the ground and curled up into a ball. Lloyd couldn't endure watching another minute of madness before him, so he shut his eyes, pressing his eyelids together tightly to prevent the urge to re-open them.

"_That's it. If the smartest of us all can't think of a way out of this mess, then we are definitely screwed!" _the brunette dismally thought. His teeth clenched together and he internally screamed, _"Argh! If only we could pull ourselves together, we would be out of Zelos' clutches… If only we could pull ourselves together… pull ourselves together. _Together_." _Then, by a stroke of luck, the most perfect idea hit him.

Jutting open his hazel eyes, Lloyd cheerfully exclaimed, "I got it!"

Such an outburst interrupted both Mithos' breakdown and Genis' wild pacing and pulling of his own hair, causing them both to actually stop what they were doing and listen. This pause allowed reality and their sanity return to their systems. For the others, Zelos as well as the girls perked up to listen to what Lloyd had to offer.

With the attention focused all on him, Lloyd energetically started, "Sheena, you said that who _alone_ could barge through, am I right?"

Sheena simply nodded in approval.

"Well, that's the problem then! _Nobody_ can," revealed Lloyd, a rare, serious gleam in his eye.

Shaking his own head, Zelos remarked, disappointed, "Captain Platitude strikes again."

"Not to be criticizing like Zelos or anything, but we already know that already," Genis patronizingly grumbled, rolling his sapphire orbs at his friends obviousness.

Stomping his foot, Lloyd defensively retorted, "Hey, you guys didn't let me finish first! Geez... Anyways, what I was going to say next was that we don't have to open the door alone. My plan is to open the door _together_." He finished with his signature goofy grin.

"How is that going to work?" Colette asked, perplexity depicted on her face. "With so many people here, I can't imagine what this plan is, Lloyd."

"Eh, actually," Lloyd muttered, then he begun to scratch the back of his head, "the plan doesn't really need everyone to pitch in. It's more of a two man job, a duo kind of thing." Observing his friends' silence, he knew they still couldn't picture the plan of action he was painting. And so, the brunette continued, "Genis, do you remember that day back in Iselia when we got locked in the schoolhouse's P.E. shed?"

Taking a brief pause to reminisce, Genis replied, "Yeah. Yeah, I do… We were stuck in there for hours." He scowled upon remembering the horrible experience.

"That is until we paired up and tackled the door with all our might, breaking the lock! Then we were free!" proudly announced Lloyd. His victorious fist pumped into the air. "So who says we can't reenact that again?"

"For one, Lloyd, that was a cheap shed to begin with. It was bound to have bad craftsmanship because of the low costs. And second of all, this isn't that same kind of poor craftsmanship as our schoolhouse shed. Here we're up against two elongated pieces of extremely sturdy, thick oak wood that make up this doorway, and it has been planked on the other side to boot," Genis hastily countered, he then took a pause to deeply sigh. Rubbing his temples, the silver-haired concluded, "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but… sure, let's do it."

"Huh?" the entire group yelped, shocked at the change of the silverette's pessimism.

"B-but you just listed all these negatives! How can you be thinking that running into that entrance will be just as successful as a previous attempt all of a sudden?" Mithos quipped.

"I've been thinking about what Presea said…" Leaving his left arm crossed over his chest, Genis let his right elbow resting atop his left hand, allowing himself to cradle his chin with his right hand and to assume a thinking pose. In deep thought, the young genius explained aloud, "If one person alone tries to barge through, their strength must compensate the amount of body mass they have when in comparison to the surface area of the object, in this case the doorway. The smaller the size of the person, the more energy they have to use to cover such a large area of impact. However, if you take two people in to thought, the more body mass there is to counteract the double-door's area. And so, in theory, with two people, you'd have energy being spread onto a greater amount of area than a single person could, and at the same time, with two people, you expend a lesser amount of energy than a single person would on their own. Putting that all into mind, there is a good chance that we can do this."

"Even though I didn't understand a single word of your explanation, I told you this can work!" Lloyd said, self-assured.

"But who is going to be the two that will charge the double-doors then?" Sheena asked.

"We already clarified that we can't do it," Colette mentioned, and Presea nodded in agreement to Colette's words.

"The only people left to volunteer are you guys, although Mithos doesn't seem to be fit in doing strenuous things in his… 'distressed' condition and Zelos is just, well, Zelos," Sheena pointed out.

"You got that right, my Beautiful Violent Banshee~!" Zelos sang, flashing a cutesy smile.

"Ugh," the raven-haired sophomore softly groaned, lightly slapping her own forehead, "you are no help at all, Zelos. And I told you to stop calling me that!"

"Wait, if all the girls plus Mithos and Zelos are out of the running… that only leaves—" Genis horrifically croaked with wide eyes of realization.

"Yup!" Lloyd optimistically interrupted, wrapping his arm around the silverette's scrawny neck, bringing them both into a huddle. His loud, goofy grin still remained, "That just leaves you and me!"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" Genis spewed quickly, squirming out of Lloyd's brotherly huddle and back-stepping away from him. Violently shaking his silver bush of a head left and right continuously, Genis shouted, "I can't do something like that! I-I'm not strong! I-I don't even have much body mass e-either!"

"C'mon, Genis!" Lloyd motivated him with a friendly punch in the arm. "You've already done something as easy and simple as this. And now that your older and wiser, there is no way you can't do it again. So what do you say?"

"B-b-but I-I—" the silver-haired teen meekly murmured, head hanging in despair. But his head immediately shot up again, hearing the comforting words from his friends.

"Please, Genis," Colette kindly pleaded, her acute smile curled on her lips. "I know you can do it!"

Sheena joined in to cheer, "Yeah, you guys can pull this off! We believe in you."

"If you don't want to do it for yourself, at least do it for us in mind!" Mithos cried.

Being one of few words, Presea nodded once more, "Good luck."

The last to give a word of thought was Zelos, who nonchalantly brought a hand over his mouth, yawning, "And I don't care. Either way, I'm still fine and fabulous~!" Well, not all words were exactly comforting.

"See, Genis! Everyone believes in you, including myself," commented the brunette, his confident grin almost blinding the silverette. Laying an encouraging hand on Genis' shoulder, Lloyd earnestly said, "So have some faith in yourself. Trust me on this; we can do it."

Hesitantly, Genis responded, "… A-alright. If you say so…"

"O-kay~!" bellowed Lloyd. He pumped his fist into the air, yelling, "Let 'Operation: Door Buster' begin!" to Genis' disgust.

After some careful set up and minor self-preparation, the duo were ready and the awaiting gang left in suspense, watching the pre-event. Lloyd and Genis had positioned themselves a good running distance away from the double-doors to let themselves gain enough speed and momentum. The rest of the crew, being as they were not needed, stayed far off to the side, away from their projected runway and their target, the wooden doorway. Taking a nice spectators front view on the sidelines of the housing complex was what the remaining gang did. They watched the two volunteers finish preparations as the two were about to begin their assault. However, the tension building up in a certain silverette wasn't helping the situation progress any further. It only cause the teen to sweat bullets. On the other hand, his brunette partner was content under the pressure, using it to his advantage to fuel him as he was doing his warm up stretching.

When he finished getting the kinks out of his neck, Lloyd asked as he began stretching his arms, "You okay, Genis?"

"Y-yeah, I'm f-fine," Genis nervously said, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

"Well, you don't look like it," Lloyd commented. A brown eyebrow raised in disbelief.

Genis sighed, chagrined, "I-I guess I'm just scared… There's so much at stake that if I screw up, I'll fail and let everyone suffer the wrath of Zelos… I don't want to let them all down because of me. You too, Lloyd."

"Dude, you have to get over that self-doubt stuff. We've pulled through tougher things than this, so we can definitely get through this one too! Well, that is if you are still up for it 'cause I can't do this without you."

Hearing that last sentence ring into his ear made the silver-haired boy smile, filling him with needed moral. A small chuckle escaped Genis' lips before he exclaimed, "Of course I'm still up for this!"

"Now that's what I wanted to hear," Lloyd returned Genis' with his own grin. "Just stick beside me and do as we planned. And don't worry, I'll keep an easy running pace so that you can keep up."

"Hey! I'm not that unfit, you know?" Genis jokingly retorted.

Lloyd scoffed in laughter, "We'll just see about that!"

The two finally positioned themselves aligned in front of the wooden double-doors and facing them. Their bodies were turned away from on another, their backs being the only thing facing each other. Both of their heads were intensely focused in on the their target as they shifted their feet, getting ready for the start ahead. Knees were buckled slightly, eyes were sharpened, and teeth were clenched upon the final moments of preparation. Knowing that they were lined up perfectly to one another at the starting line, they were ready to go. Lloyd and Genis shared a single glance between each other and a quick nod before re-directing their focus back at the Horror House's double-door.

"Ready?" Lloyd called out. Getting no negative feedback, Lloyd inhaled one large breath and then screamed, "GO!"

At that moment, both teens once buckled knees launched into action, pushing the two forward like bouncy, metal springs. A cloud of dirt instantly formed in the disappearance of their presence. Despite the difference in athletic ability, the duo kept close to each other as planned by taking the same pace to run at. However, that pace began to fluctuate. The closer they got to the doorway the faster their pace got, causing things to be quite challenging for Genis. Since he was the shorter one out of them, he had shorter legs; therefore, he had to run twice as more to keep with Lloyd's longer strides. But thankfully for the silverette, they were only sprinting a brief distance and not a full marathon. Soon enough, as he gritted his teeth through the pain, Genis spotted the porch steps come into view. The main event was milliseconds away. Still in sync, the two boys jumped over the porch steps, being very careful not to lose their speed in the process. Now as they were an arm's reaching distance of the double-doors, they assumed a similar position as they did from before their run. Once again, they turned their bodies to the side to be back-to-back. And with one final push-off with their legs, they charged into their respective sides of the double-door using their shoulders. Lloyd tackled into the left side, while Genis tackled the right. Their eyes clamped shut upon impact as they felt the force of their bodies flow into the door. The satisfying cracks dispersed into the air, signifying damage being created from their combined blow to the wooden double-doors. Very tiny cracks were forming on the finely intricate designed doorway, marking its close demise. And just as the cracks stopped forming, Lloyd and Genis could feel the entranceway slowly cave in. One last but deafening _Crack!_ erupted into the silent night sky, and the two doors swung right open, violently swinging into the inner walls of the housing complex. Before they could pry open their eyes, the duo felt the soles of their feet being reunited with the earth, the sensation of hovering in mid-air now gone. Once their eyes had opened, they took a long look at the scene of carnage, being careful to note in their minds that the object that was between them and the inside of the house was not a nuisance any longer. Looking at one another now, the two shared identical looks of awe. They had successfully barged in through the front door of the Horror House, and the sensation of victory finally hit them. Big fulfilled smiles broke out of their faces, and they did a celebratory forearm touch to rejoice.***1**

Behind them, Zelos had stepped around the two guys and casually ambled inside the Horror House, walking on the pieces of plank that were broken by Lloyd and Genis. The crimson-haired wore a cynical smirk as he walked in. And it didn't leave as he let his singing voice echo into the abandoned Horror House, "Knock, knock~"

* * *

**Author's Note Time!**

Congratulations for getting through a third of the Horror House Arc! Things are only getting started from here for the gang in this house of horrors! Haha!

***1:** Reference to Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology's Opening. Haven't seen it before? YouTube it. Happens at around 1:09.


	9. Horror House Part 2

**Disclaimer:** The Tales of Symphonia characters are owned by none other than Namco! I own nothing as usual.

* * *

**_Ch. 8: Horror House ~ Part 2: Flight to the Top ~_**

* * *

Having just busted down the double-door obstacle, the interior of the Horror House was finally open for the gang's eyes to soak in. The ones that had stayed on the sidelines of the complex had slowly begun filing into the building, each and every one of their heads bouncing about as they surveyed the area. Similar to the outside of the housing structure, the inside was just as dreadful. They had stepped into the entrance of a central lobby, but it sure wasn't homely and inviting as a regular one. Unlike their own dormitories, this lobby had little to no furniture left. Whatever furniture that had remained was now unusable, broken so much that it was practically left behind to rot along with the building. Sitting areas were located on the left and right sides of the lobby designed in a symmetrical pattern to create a reflection between one another. Some chairs were missing backs, others a leg or two to stabilize them, making them crooked and off-balance. Upholstery of the couches and chairs were ruined, the yellow stuffing oozing out like toothpaste. The long reticular coffee tables that the seats surrounded were destroyed also, smashed right in the middle as if someone had their body slammed right on top of it. The decorative wallpaper that had adorned the walls of the place was now faded in color and peeling off the walls. Once nice paintings and portraits were now slanted, unappreciated anymore of its artwork. A frayed and moldy red carpet laid underneath their feet, separating the gang from the scratched up paneled floors. The long red carpet had started from the doorway and led up to the center piece of the lobby before ending abruptly. It had stopped in front of the main info desk, a circular-like working area where mail, keys, and other stuff would be stored and cared for by a desk-worker like how their own dorms were. Above the info desk hung a classy but dangerous crystal chandelier, barely hanging from the ceiling by a single rusty chain. However, no matter the object in the room, a re-occurring element stayed true in the entire room, and that was the fact that everything was covering in a heavy layer of dust. Everything. Even if you tried to take a step, you'd create a small cloud of dust puff up from beneath you. All this dust and destruction made the group wonder if the rest of the Horror House was just as abysmal wreck. And as they stared down the three dark corridors that the lobby branched off into, their interest of what may lie further along peaked considerably.

The group followed Zelos' lead as the red-haired walked forth to stand before the circular info desk. Spinning around to face the gang, Zelos threw his arms into the air, spookily saying, "Welcome to the inside Horror House where the only residents are the undead! May you enjoy your visit of terror, and don't let it be your _last_."

"Terror? The only terrorizing thing here is the layer upon layer of dust everywh-wh-wher—ACHOO!" Genis sneezed, he then rubbed is nose with his sleeve. "Ugh…"

"With all this around us, it's more practical to say that we'll die from dust bunnies first than see a ghost," Sheena said.

"Well, Ms. Unbeliever, I wouldn't say that! You might anger the spirits," the crimson-haired warned with a raised finger.

Sheena shook it off, carelessly flailing a hand, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Too entranced by the vast, near empty lobby, Colette pondered aloud, "This is such a big place. There are three different corridors. I don't think that we will be able cover them all one night."

"Oh, don't fret, my Little Angel~!" Zelos assured in his singsong voice. "I prepared for a problem like this!" The crimson-haired sophomore shuffled the depths of his pockets, this time taking out not more photos but instead seven ruby-colored chopsticks. Showing them off, he chimed, "Taadaa!"

Regaining some courage, Mithos had recovered from his previous breakdown, questioning with a baffled look, "D-did Zelos just take several pairs of chopsticks out of his pants?"

"Yup," Genis answered just as confused.

"I can understand a few small pictures… but chopsticks? How is that even possible?" Lloyd asked, flabbergasted.

As politely as she could, Presea interjected their conversation. The pink-haired girl explained, "It's because of the Inventory. In the Inventory, items can be stacked on each other as long as they are the same. And as long as you are not carry twenty of the same item, then you can hold more of that item. Because of this stacking system, the space an item would normally take up is not a hindrance any longer, giving you more inventory space than needed. To put simply, the space in one's Inventory is not limited at all to the amount of different types of items, but it is however limited in terms of how many of a certain item you can stack. So theoretically, you can stock any object in the Inventory as long as you don't exceed the limit as to how many of that item you can keep for space is practically unlimited. Understood?"***2**

The three guys were left mouth agape and eyes furiously blinking at the end of her explanation. They were now even more at a lost because of how Presea had the knowledge to respond to Lloyd's question and thoroughly too.

"I-inventory?" Mithos dumbly sputtered.

"Stacking?" Genis said, his sapphire eyes wide open.

"Unlimited sp-sp-space?" Lloyd exclaimed, eye twitching.

Cocking her head to her side, Presea asked, "Oh, you didn't read the manual?"

"There's a manual?" the blond teen inquired, his mind couldn't seem to comprehend all this complex talk Presea spoke of.

Laying a reassuring hand on Mithos' shoulder, Lloyd told him, "No need to breakdown again, Mithos. I think this 'manual' Presea's talking about is the Student Responsibility Handbook that we got at the orientation. Honestly, I threw that book away the moment they gave it to us. It's nothing but pointless blabbering about what they expect of us, so there's no need of wasting my time to read it and let alone keep it."

"Oh, man! That kind of information is in the handbook?" Genis yelled at himself, clutching his head. He then let his hands release his cranium, and his arms slowly slinked back down to his sides. His head then bobbed down, discontented, "Ahhh… I've got more reading to catch up on then."

"Actually, the manual I was referring to was—" but before Presea could speak any more, Zelos had interrupted her.

"Alright, listen up!" he announced, the empty room amplifying his voice louder than normal and causing the gang to flinch at the high volume pounding their eardrums. Thankfully, for them, Zelos had quieted down, "What I have here are seven identical chopsticks. They all have the same color, but located at the base of each of the chopsticks are different designs engraved in them. Depending on what design you get, that'll determine your team. And to prevent any of you from cheating, I'll be covering the bottoms as you guys choose."

"Splitting up into teams, huh? Well, as long as I'm not on your team, Zelos, I'm fine," Sheena bluntly said, being the first to draw a chopstick.

"Ouch! Such hurtful words, Sheena!" Zelos cried, tears collecting in his eye-sockets.

After Sheena stepped to the side, Colette went up to the plate, happily bouncing, "Ooohhhh, I wonder who I'll be grouped with! Chance games like this are always so unpredictable and fun." Closing her sky-blue eyes, Colette let her hand hover over the bundle of chopsticks like a crane in a toy machine. Then when she was satisfied, her hand swooped down, snatching up one of the sticks. The blond-haired girl then walked off, letting someone else take a turn.

Without making a sound, Presea went in front of Zelos, scrutinizing all the chopsticks remaining his hands. Saying only, "This one should suffice," she grabbed a chopstick and ambled away.

Once all the ladies had gone, the guys - after a long debate and a quick game of rock-paper-scissors - had made an orderly decision of letting the victor go first, then the runner up, and the loser who got out in the first round go last. Since Genis was the winner, he walked up to get his chopstick first, leaving the waiting guys frowning. When the silverette got to Zelos, he peered down the chopstick bundle, muttering, "Now, which one to choose?"

Just as he was about to reach down to grab one, Zelos annoyingly remarked, "Are you _sure_ you want that one? I mean, this is your fate of who you'll be stuck with for over an hour after all."

The silverette scoffed, shaking his head, "You can't screw with my head, Zelos." However, when Genis tried reaching down again to grab a chopstick, his hand froze abruptly. The final words the red-head had said rang in his mind, _"This is your fate of who you'll be stuck with for over an hour after all."_ Immediately, Genis reeled back his hand, trying to be a little bit wiser on his decision. He was shocked as he found himself swayed by the sophomore's teasing.

Zelos victoriously smirked, "Having second thoughts now are we?"

Genis hated to admit it, but Zelos was right; he was second guessing himself. Facing the ground and closing his eyes, Genis thought, _"This will mark my fate of who I'll be all alone with… M-maybe, just maybe… I-I could be paired up with_—_"_ Slowly his head rose and his eyelids slowly opened, and his sapphire eyes drifted off in the girls' direction. As the silver-haired's eyes fell on one person, his gaze softened and couldn't seem to tear away from his fixation. _"_—_her… Presea. If I get into the same team as her, I could learn more about her."_ Subconsciously, Genis' cheeks started to flush a barely noticeable crimson at the thought.

Becoming impatient, Zelos irately yapped, snapping Genis out of his daydreaming, "Let's go, you Little Brat! We don't have all night!"

"Okay, okay! I'm going," Genis stated. But under his breath, he whispered, "Geez, old men are so impatient."

"Wh-what did you just call me, Brat?"

So he wouldn't have to answer such a question, Genis threw away any hesitation that rest within him and reached over to the bundle. With one eye open and his teeth gritting, the silverette picked a chopstick at random, pleading to the Goddess as he yanked it out from Zelos' grasp, _"Oh, please be let be the same as hers. Oh, please, please, please!" _Tightly held in his palm, Genis scurried off, still sending his prayers in hopes of reaching Martel.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Run away!" Zelos spat.

Being the runner-up of the rock-paper-scissors game, Lloyd took his turn, confidently taking a chopstick without worry. And after him was Mithos, saddened at the option of only two chopsticks. Seeing as he had barely a choice at all, when the blond boy reached Zelos, he didn't look, he didn't think, but he just seized one of the sticks, leaving a lone chopstick in Zelos' hands. And he, uncaring, joined the others.

Now that everyone had drawn a chopstick, the gang formed a tight circle. They outstretched their arms into the middle of the circle, and in their closed hands held their individual chopsticks, the inscribed part faced to the floor. Together they were going to reveal at the same time who had the same design.

As the unofficial ringleader, Zelos started the countdown, "On my count. Three… Two… One!"

Simultaneously, they all flipped their wrists, showing off to everyone their design.

Quickly, Genis scanned the bottom of his chopstick, finding a distinct shaped heart carved into it. He didn't know why, but his face lit up upon seeing it and his own heart skipped a beat. A warm smile soon covered his face as he thought, _"A-a h-h-heart? … This has got to be a sign!" _Brightly beaming, his sapphire eyes darted of next to Presea, eagerly looking to see if his gut was correct. However, what he saw next made him wipe the grin off of his face and his heart sink. There, before him, Genis witnessed the opposite of what he hoped. On the base of her chopstick was a star.

"Yo, star partner! Ready to take on the Horror House?" Lloyd excitedly bounced next to Presea, showing her his own star printed chopstick.

She nodded, "Yes. Let us do our best."

"Bud and Ms. Transferee both have stars? Wowee! This must be my lucky day," Zelos chirped in as he waved around his star chopstick.

Downhearted at the sight, Genis turned away, holding onto the chopstick in his hand firmly. Looking down at its heart shaped design, Genis dismally thought, _"So it was just false hope…"_ Disappointment flooded through his veins and his grip tightened onto the chopstick to the point of his fingers turning a pale white. He could then hear Colette cheering, happy to find her smiley-face team. But the silver-haired didn't care. With his hopes crushed, Genis wasn't willing to find out who was paired up with who now, even who was his own partner.

"So the teams are set, right?" Zelos asked. "Our star team will venture in the first corridor, the smiley-face team shall take the second one, and the heart team goes down the third. Even though we're all going in different places, we're all still aiming for the same goal, to reach the top floor of the Horror House, which is the rooftop. And to make things more exciting, whichever team reaches the top first gets the glory of making the losers do whatever they want." The guys, excluding Genis, started to get pumped. The thought of a prize waiting at the end was music to their ears, but for the girls, it wasn't such a lovely thing. Zelos ignored their responses and continued, "Are we clear? Then let's get going!"

It didn't take the silverette long to quit his moping and look around to see that everyone was assorted in the separate teams, traversing around the circular info desk and going to their respective corridors. However, something about this assortment was terribly wrong, and the fact that no one was aiming down the third corridor his team was assigned to made Genis even more concerned. In a matter of seconds, he figured out that he was a one-man team.

"W-wait! Come back, guys!" Genis called out. To his luck, the teams had not left the vicinity of the lobby and were able to hear him. Doing as Genis' commanded, they all returned next to the info desk, all wearing puzzled looks.

"Oh, what's the hold up now?" Zelos whined, displeased.

"Well, hello?" screamed the silverette, swinging his chopstick in the crimson-haired's face. "I've got a heart design on my chopstick!"

"And your point is?"

Genis began to fume at his ignorance. He stomped, "I'm the only one with a heart!"

"Is that so?" Zelos peered at everyone else to confirm Genis' declaration. Seeing as he was right, Zelos said, "I must've miscalculated when I got them then."

"Yeah, you miscalculated," lowly growled Genis.

What Zelos said next is what made Genis' blood really start to boil, "Oooohh, well! The teams are already in order. Guess you're just going to have to go solo through the Horror House." The red-head flipped his hair with his hand as he turned around and strolled to the first corridor. Behind his heels were the rest of his teammates, following close so they wouldn't be left behind.

Soon enough, Genis' heart designed chopstick was a reflection of his own heart. _Snap! _emitted from the eating utensil, broken in half by the silver-haired boy's furious fist which continued to tremble. The unfortunate youth was shaken with a combination of both disappointment and anger. Disappointment as to not getting a second chance with Presea as well as anger from such a ridiculous and unfair treatment to let him go solo exploring the Horror House. Venomously, Genis spoke, his fist raised before him, still crushing what remnants were left of the chopstick, "Solo? … Why, you-" A luminous blue aura began to form around Genis' body, and his silver locks of hair slowly started to hover at the immense flow of mana building up within him. Like before at the Artes field, he was letting his rage fuel him to create another subconscious spell.

Quick to notice the signs, Mithos jumped into action by standing in front of Genis, suggesting, "H-how about if I just switched to Genis' team to make it fair then? You wouldn't mind that, would you, Sheena-senpai, Colette?"

Shaking her head, Sheena said, "Not at all."

"That's a great idea!" Colette said with a smile. "You two have fun."

With the dispute fully settled, both the star team and the smiley-face team had finally went their separate ways, trekking down different corridors. This left Genis and Mithos completely alone in the lobby. When the others were out of ear-shot, they spoke.

"Geez, Genis! If I didn't do anything, the whole group was going to see another Artes Incident in the making!" Mithos worriedly stressed. "I thought I already told you to be more careful."

"Sorry," the silverette apologized. He had calmed down from his almost explosive scene, and now he was filled with regret for what he was about to do. Sorrowfully, his head dropped, "I-I was just so infuriated at Zelos that I… I—"

"I know," Mithos said, "Zelos is an ass. From that first time we ran into him at the dorm, you made that quite crystal clear. But still, don't let his pretty boy attitude get to you. If you do, you'll just be giving him what he wants, letting him get underneath your skin. The same goes for any other prick at this academy."

Raising his head, Genis sent a positive smile and a light chuckle, "You're right, Mithos. I really shouldn't let those people get to me."

"Yeah! Now, come on!" Mithos merrily shouted. "We can't let the other teams get to the rooftop first, now can we?"

"Hell no!" Genis chanted, pumping his fist. "And especially not _Zelos_."

Hastily, with their high enthusiasm, they both sprinted off into the third corridor. Any of their fears and doubts that were with them were now left behind, replaced by the objective of getting to the rooftop and making Zelos pay for all his misdoings. The thought of something like that made both teenagers happily smirk as they barreled down the darkness of corridor number three.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

The Horror House was not that tall of a housing complex. It only soared for fifteen floors high, but that didn't mean the trek up was any easier said than done. Certain of the paneled floors were missing, leaving gaping holes in the hallways and making it impossible to go through those ways. There were also staircases that were missing steps. So many were gone that trying to jump across to reach a step ten feet away and seven feet high was pure idiocy. Not only those dangers were present that hindered the teams, but in any old, abandoned building there can be faulty parts. Ceiling tiles can be loose and fall at any moment, having the force to knock someone out, support beams that lined the walls could crumble and the floor could cave in a matter of seconds, and the floor panels may not hold up as much as they used to back in the day, making the teams very cautious as they walked through the dark hallways of the Horror House. Because of such a treacherous atmosphere the gang was in, they all had to watch themselves and each other for one wrong step in a particular direction can lead to injury or even something worse, death. However, thoughts of dying were something they would rather not like to think about. And to do so, the teams kept on their careful pursuit of reaching the rooftop so they could win the glory of being the first group there. Such a mindset helped the smiley-faced team gain an early lead in the game. After a mere twenty-five minutes in, Sheena and Colette had made it to the seventh floor without running into any problems so far, which was quite a considerable feat considering that they were the only team that got higher than the third floor. Even though they didn't know it, they felt accomplished at their scaling pace and just that was enough to decide to let take a little pressure off themselves by slowing their pace and to allow them to regain any lost energy. So as they continued to walk, they begun to make some small talk to feel more at ease.

"You know, Colette, after a few minutes, I feel pretty confident that we've made it to the seventh floor already," Sheena said, a positive grin appearing on her face.

"Yeah!" Colette happily cheered, agreeing with a nod. "We sure make a good team, don't we, Sheena-senpai?"

"Mmhmm!" Sheena concurred. "I was so relieved to find out you were my teammate! If it had been anyone else, I don't think I'd be as far up this quickly. I guess it's because of our chemistry as roommates."

"Really? I thought that if you had been paired up with Zelos your long chemistry together would've helped you by a lot, and maybe even be the winners because of it," the blond girl commented.

"Me and Zelos as good team together?" Sheena questioned, shocked at first. Then, the raven-haired sophomore chuckled at the thought, "Oh, Colette, don't make me laugh! There is no way that idiot, red-head Chosen and I would make a good team."

Colette apologized profusely, "Ah, I'm sorry, so very sorry! It's just that from my perspective you two seem such close friends and…" She cut herself off, biting her lips and stopping in her tracks. Colette was hesitating if it was alright or not to finish what she was saying; however, she feared to hear or see Sheena's reaction. A little bit of that fear was because of witnessing how vicious Sheena could become in her 'Violent Banshee' state, as the gang now called it, and the other bit of fear was from the fact that she might end up hurting a friend. And since Colette was the kind of girl who wouldn't want people to get hurt in any way, she chose to keep her mouth shut and stare aimlessly at the floor beneath her, watching as her feet mindlessly shuffled in nervousness.

Realizing that the blond freshman had stayed behind and that she was now walking alone down the empty hall, Sheena too stopped in her tracks. She then spun around and called out to Colette, who was still shuffling about, "Colette, you were saying?"

Soundlessly, the younger took one of her hands and placed it upon her lips as if to keep them closed, not even letting a single peep escape her lips. Colette then shut her eyes and shook her head vehemently, telling Sheena a silent message, 'N-nothing! I have nothing more to say.'

Sheena tried coaxing, "Come on, Colette! You can tell me." Getting nothing but another shake of the head, she tried once more, "I promise, I won't criticize you. Really, you can tell me anything, Colette. And I'll keep it confidential if you want?" Sheena began to smile as she saw Colette slowly open her one of her sky-blue eyes and then the other.

Taking her hand off of her mouth, Colette tentatively said, "O-okay…" With the most innocent look she could portray, Colette continued from where she left off, "What I was going to say was…" Her fingers tugged the ends of her shirt cuffs, trying to stall and get the courage. Deeply exhaling one last time, she softly mentioned, "If I didn't know any better, you two were a couple."

Silence. Sheena didn't say anything back, her expression didn't change, and her reaction was one that Colette wasn't expecting. The older, raven-haired girl simply stared at Colette with a blank expression, clearly seen in her vivid amber eyes. And this lasted on until, Colette became concerned.

Getting closer, Colette stepped toward Sheena's still body and waved a caring hand before her face, trying to snap her out of it. "S-Sheena-senpai, are you okay?" When she garnered no response from her, Colette frowned, frightened of what became of her friend.

Before Colette could start panicking, the raven-haired's eyes danced, locking onto Colette. Her mouth then dropped ajar slightly, and her lips curled into a small smile. And out of her mouth came erupting another unexpected reaction, a full blown laugh. "Ahahaha!" Sheena noisily chortled, clutching her stomach from the pain of laughing too much. "You are some comedian, Colette! Ahaaa…" As her laughter died down, Sheena wiped a tear from her eye.

Stunned at the outburst, Colette moved backwards a couple steps, leaving plenty room for Sheena to breath. Colette earnestly replied, furiously blinking, "B-but, Senpai… I was being serious."

In a vast difference from her laughing fit, Sheena's composure turned and did a full one-eighty, becoming calm and serious all of a sudden, "So you really think that Zelos and I could be a couple?"

Colette nodded, "Yes. From the way you two treat each other, it seemed to be pretty couple-like to me."

Hearing that, Sheena would've choked if she had been drinking anything, "W-what do you mean 'the way we treat each other'?"

"You know," Colette edged on, "the way he constantly flirts with you and the way you act all hateful to him kind of like a love-hate relationship?"

"Well, you're right about one thing, he does constantly flirt with me and I do act hateful. But the thing about the love-hate relationship is wrong. There is no love, just nothing but hate! Zelos may flirt but that doesn't constitute love. Besides, he flirts with all women no matter the age, and I never liked the man ever since I first saw him," Sheena expressed, turning around and strolling down the hallway once more.

Chasing behind her heels to catch up, Colette inquisitively asked, "Is that true? Is it true that you _never_ even liked Zelos? To be honest, that sounds really harsh of you, Sheena-senpai." A sad frown curled onto her lips.

"Okay," Sheena gave in, "I did like him somewhat when I first met him. But that was when I started to hate him too…"

"Huh? I'm sorry, but that doesn't make any sense to me," Colette said. "How can you start liking Zelos, and then hate him all in the same moment when you two first met?"

Sheena sighed. "It's pretty complicated… You see, it all happened about a year ago in Symphonia…"

_~ S.S.D. ~_

A year ago before Lloyd, Colette, or Genis had even slightest thought of attending Symphonia Academy, Sheena was accepted into the city of Symphonia to participate in the academy's four year student program, which was a delight for her and the hidden ninja village of Mizuho from which she was raised. It was an honor to be a representative of their exclusive clan when being selected as a capable student with hidden potential, especially since very few of Mizuho's citizens before her were given such an opportunity. The only people that attended Symphonia Academy before her were orphaned brothers, Orochi, the eldest brother, and Kuchinawa, the youngest. The two brothers began attending the four year program only a year earlier than her, but even so, it was still a monumental milestone for the people of Mizuho. And it became even more of an achievement when Sheena was accepted since she was the first female from their clan to represent them. However, being raised in a small village of ninja posed complications for the raven-haired. Due to the fact that Sheena was a kunoichi, she had to uphold the ways and traditions of the Mizuho people, and that included the most important rule - to keep your profession of being a ninja under a tight lip. No one outside of the village was to find out such a secret. But that wouldn't prove to be a nuisance, right? Sheena was a kunoichi after all.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Flashback, Sheena's First Day of Classes]**

_Nestled deep in the twisted bed-sheets and pillows was Sheena Fujibayashi, enjoying a well-needed peaceful slumber. The day prior was not a good first day at Symphonia for her. Upon her arrival, she had accidentally eaten poisoned food on the train ride. Apparently the chef had used the wrong mushrooms, tossing in tainted ones in the dish. Sadly, Sheena didn't know that beforehand until a few hours later when she found herself rushing to the restrooms during Pronyma's welcoming speech. Not once did the raven-haired freshman imagine that she would be bowing down to the porcelain throne when she just got there. After her episode in the restroom, Sheena ended up skipping the rest of the orientation at the auditorium to flee to her dorm-room, believing rest would be the perfect cure to an upset stomach. And once she got there, Sheena quickly unpacked her things, popped out a bottle of ginger-ale and Alka-Seltzer, chugging them both down in a single go. In a short moment of time, Sheena was knocked-out atop her bed, and she stayed like that throughout the night into the next morning on her first day of classes._

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! _came from the birds outside her window, signaling the start of a bright, cloudless morning. And hearing the bird's songs, Sheena dazedly opened her amber eyes, pulling aside the blankets that covered her. Sitting up on her bed, she stretched her arms to the ceiling and loudly yawned. Briefly shaking her head to rid any tiredness, she stopped to stare out the window beside her bed. When Sheena spotted the singing birds that awoke her standing on the branches of a nearby tree, a smile soon warmed up on her face. A pleasant awaking on her first day of classes was a positive sign to see after yesterday. Her attention then drifted down to the ground, seeing hundreds of students walking towards the academy. However, this sight irked her; it wasn't another good sign. _

"Just why would so many students be out an about so early in the morning? It isn't even seven o'clock yet!" _or so Sheena thought. Her eyes then traveled to her alarm clock on her bedside table to check the time. _"See, it's only two in the morning… Wait! Two in the morning?" _In a flash, she grabbed her clock, incredulously eyeing it. Then, she pressed it against her ear, trying to hear a ticking noise. But alas, Sheena heard silence. Her eyes could only widen in her realization, the clock slipping from her grasp and falling onto her sheets, _"I-it's batteries died?"

_Quickly, to set things straight, Sheena rushed to pick up her cell phone. Flipping it open, she read on the screen '7:46 AM'. Seeing those digits sent a shiver down her spine, causing her face to twist up in anguish and disbelief. Reverting to her last reliable resource, Sheena desperately ran back to the window, pressing her face on the glass. With her squinting eyes, she could faintly distinguish the correct time on the clock tower. On the clock tower, it displayed '7:56'._

_Her hopeful outlook completely shattered at that instant and Sheena cried to the heavens, "Oh, what the heck? I'm late!" _

_~ S.S.D. ~_

_Shoes pounded the cement sidewalks, rhythmically thumping as they hit the ground. Sheena, the bearer of the shoes, was beat-red in the face. Her white uniform was crumpled and disorderly because she didn't have the time to iron it last night or this morning. The buttons were fastened all wrong since she missed the bottom button. Her luscious black hair would've been mistaken as a bush because of her bed-head if she hadn't prepared it into a two sloppy tight coils at the back of her head. And to top it all off, her stomach had recovered from the poisoned mushrooms and was now happily grumbling away, indicating its desire of a breakfast. Sheena could only hope rubbing her tummy would make the noises lessen as she continued to sprint to her first class, which began at promptly 8:20. And she didn't dare check her cell phone again, fearing that time wasn't at all on her side. Yup, having to rush from the moment you wake up would have those kinds of affects._

_As Sheena sprinted with all her might to beat the clock, she cursed in her mind, "If only I could use one of my seals, I'd teleport to my class in the blink of an eye! But noooo! We can't use them in public."_

_Sheena then deepened her voice, mocking, "'Using forbidden techniques out of Mizuho is prohibited without consent!'" She sighed, closing her eyes and returning her voice to normal. "Sheesh, Tiga. Of all the rules, it just had to be this one of yours that screws me over."_

_Suddenly, an unknown male voice tore Sheena from her thoughts, shouting, "Hey, beautiful girl with the big buns! Slow down a bit would ya?" The red-head winking and beaming a seductive grin._

_Hearing that, Sheena was right away irked, sending a hateful glare towards the commenter. _"What the—? How dare he try to get a better look of my ass?" _she disdainfully thought. Then aloud, she indignantly hollered to him, shaking a fist, "Like hell, you damn, red-head pervert!"_

"_But you're gonna_—_!" the crimson-haired tried to retort, hands cupped around his mouth to amplify his message; however, Sheena ignorantly decided to tune the man out, muting his words like a push of a button on the remote._

_The raven-haired held her head high to the sky, eyes shut for an even clearer indirect sign that she wasn't going to bother speaking to such a pig of a person any longer. However, having her amber eyes shut wasn't such a good idea. Sure it showed how little she cared about the man's words, but in the process, Sheena could not see a single thing before her except for the darkness of the inside of her eyelids. Her irrational actions of trying to be an independent, strong woman with a defiant pose led her straight into a world of hurt._

_As sudden as the red-head had called out to her, Sheena encountered another unexpected thing. This time it wasn't verbal but a physical one. A sharp pain soared right into her midriff, the hurt colliding into her like a punch to the gut. Such pain caused Sheena's eyes to fly back open in an instant. To her shock, what felt like her unknowingly running straight into a brick wall was quite close to what she thought. In actuality, the raven-haired had been gored in the stomach by a brick well. Its circular-like walls had stopped her feet in their tracks, although the same couldn't be said for the top half of her body. Since she had been briskly walking beforehand, when her lower half hit the well's walls her upper body couldn't stop as quickly due to the laws of motion. And with nothing to help slow down her upper half to a halt like her legs, Sheena's body from her waist up to her head went speeding forward. Having little time to react and balance herself, Sheena could do nothing but flail her arms as the top half of her body descended into the depths of the old brick well with her bottom half shortly joining in afterwards._

Splash!_ Sheena hit the water face first, causing a large slush of water to rise up past the hole of the well and up into the air for everyone around to see. The unpleasant stinging on her face had Sheena in discomfort as she emerged to the surface, her mouth gaping wide, gasping for air. She shook her head left and right, trying to get the water off her face and the loose strands of her hair out of her eyesight. When done so, Sheena could finally gain insight of her situation. Looking upward, Sheena saw just how bad of a mess she got herself in._

_Judging from the distance from her current position to the bright sunlight that poured in from the well's opening, Sheena deduced she had fallen a depth of twenty-five feet down before hitting the water. Even with such a long ways up, Sheena had hope. _"That wasn't too far of a drop. I can climb that distance easy!" _the female ninja positively thought. But to the contrary, the scale up wasn't as easy as her initial thought made it to be._

_Because of how old the well was, the brick walls that formed the well were worn and slippery. Not to mention Sheena was swimming in a pool of water, making her hands and feet slick but also making the weight of her wet clothes a considerable burden. Just as her two hands tried to get a firm hold on either side of the inner walls of the well, down they fell and Sheena with them, plopping right back into the well water. Again, Sheena resurfaced, spewing out the water that seeped into her mouth._

"Okay, maybe it isn't going to be so easy after all…" _Sheena thought, a frustrated yet determined look on her face._

_From atop the opening of the well peered down a figure. Since light was shining down, it was hard for the raven-haired to make out who stood over the opening. But she was, however, grateful that the person ran to her aid upon seeing her fall in._ _And cupping their hands around their mouth, they shouted, "Hey, are you okay?"_

"_I'm doing fine," Sheena replied. Then she added sarcastically, "although I'm a little soaked." _

_Above, the person laughed, "Well, never fear, beautiful buns! Your savior is here!"_

"Hold on a minute!" _Sheena exclaimed to herself, realizing that nickname._ _Her amber eyes sharpened, scrutinizing the person at the top of the well. Spotting that familiar shade of red for a head, Sheena exploded, "You're that pervert from before!"_

"_What? Me a pervert? How hurtful, especially since I've come out of my way to help a helpless woman," whined the red-head man._

"_H-helpless!" the young kunoichi cried, splashing around water. Sheena was enraged at being called 'beautiful buns', but now she was just plain insulted upon hearing someone, let alone some stranger, call her 'helpless'. A surge of willpower kicked in and began flowing throughout her veins. With her fuming esteem, she was determined to get herself out of the well without the help of anyone's assistance. To prove the crimson-haired wrong, Sheena rolled up her sleeves and rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them up and rid them of any wetness so she could gain as much traction as she could. Once done, she planted her hands firmly against the walls once more. Following that, she kicked her legs to the sides, planting them to the brick walls similar to her hands. Sheena cautiously moved her hands first, bringing them higher up the well's shaft. When she got them firmly placed, her feet inched upwards pushing her higher. Repeating these motions over and over again with an air of caution, Sheena soon found her self half-way up the well._

_The red-haired from above warned though, "Be careful as you try to come up. You might slip!"_

"_Oh, be quiet will ya?" Sheena agitatedly ordered as she continued her ascent to the opening. "I know what I'm doing so I don't need you coaching me!" _

"_But that well is a really old well!" he retorted._

_Sheena scoffed, still climbing, "Yeah, tell me something I don't know."_

"_Seriously!" the red-head continued. "That well's been around for over centuries! The water pressure by now is probably low, causing the water in the well to recede."_

"_And your point is?" Sheena slyly remarked._

"_The water level in that well used to be three times as high as it is now! And because of all that receding water, there's bound to be some moss growing on the sides of those walls!"_

_Coincidently just as the red-head informed her of the chance of running into moss, low and behold, as Sheena briought her hands higher one last time, she felt an unfamiliar texture far different than the rough brick. Looking at one of her hands, there poking in between her fingers was the slimy green plant. Her eyes widened as the moss slowly made both her hands slip down from their positions by mere millimeters. But even so, Sheena could sense the fall to be imminent. Shutting her eyes for impact, she felt her hands lose their traction and slip away from the walls, her body barreling back into the waters below._

Splash!_ and Sheena was right back in the water. When she surfaced, she gasped for air once more._

_At the opening of the well, still patiently waiting was the same red-haired man. He drumming his fingers across the brick well, causing a reverberating echo deep in the well for Sheena to hear. Noticing that the man had stuck around, Sheena stared upward at him as he said, "Need a hand now?"_

_Ruefully, Sheena sucked up her pride of independence and admitted with crossed arms, "… Yes, please."_

_Coming down from above to the raven-haired's rescue was a wooden bucket. It was tied to a rope which connected to the pulley system located at the very tip of the well. Thankfully for Sheena, despite how old the well was, the rope and pulley were still fairly sturdy, so she could sit inside the bucket with some security._

"_I'm gonna pull you up now!" signaled the red-haired, starting to yank the rope up._

_Slowly but steadily Sheena was raised out of the dark, damp well and into the morning sunlight. Once the bucket was way past the opening of the well, Sheena took the initiative to wiggle herself out of the wooden bucket and back onto land. When her feet made contact with the luscious soil, she inwardly rejoiced and, for once, was grateful to her savior, who was standing nonchalantly nearby the well tying up the slack of rope._

_Feeling regret for her past rude actions, Sheena approached the red-head and bowed, "Thank you for helping me."_

_When he turned around to face her, Sheena could finally see her savior face-to-face. The man had rich crimson-colored hair cascading down to his shoulders. His eyes were a shade of ocean blue. He was quite tall, a few inches higher than Sheena herself, causing her to have to look up at him. And for his clothes, he wore the ever recognizable Symphonia Academy male uniform, outfitted with the freshman numeral badge pinned at the collar. Seeing that, she knew for a fact that he was of the same grade as she._

"_Oh?" he inquisitively cooed, stunned to see such a proud woman bowing to another. "So now I get a thank you after all I've done and verbal abuse I've endured?" His red eyebrow raised._

"_Well," Sheena began defensively, "it's just the way you shouted out to me at the beginning is what made me act this way."_

"_So you're saying that I deserve to be titled as a 'pervert'?" the crimson-haired inquired._

"_You called me 'beautiful girl with the big buns' as well as telling me to 'slow down'. That and you winked and flashed a smile my way! So of course you deserve to be referred to as one," Sheena retorted, hands poised at her hips._

_He slapped his forehead lightly, shaking his head. "What I meant when I said 'buns' was your hairstyle with two tight coils tied in the back of your head," the red-haired freshman pointed out. "That is the correct definition of buns, am I correct? And when I said to 'slow down' with a wink and a smile, it was to warn you about the well that you were going to run into. The wink was a 'do you catch my drift kind of wink', while the smile was to be friendly. Geez, what did you think I meant by all that?"_

_Immediately recognizing the mix-up, Sheena nervously laughed, "Oh, nothing…" Having ceased her laughter, she extended her hand. "I'm Sheena Fujibayashi, a new freshman here. Sorry for all the trouble I caused you."_

_Taking her hand, he introduced himself, "I am the Great Zelos Wilder, a fresman as well! But you may just call me Zelos if you prefer." Instead of doing the usual handshake gesture Sheena was used to, Zelos had bent down and laid a single kiss on the back of her hand, causing her to heat up in embarrassment. Staring back into the raven-haired's amber eyes, Zelos said, "And it is no problem at all. To help someone as beautiful as you is worth it." Hearing that made Sheena's cheeks flare a little darker, her embarrassment rising. To top it all off, Zelos added with a seductive smile, "And if I must say, you look dazzling in the academy uniform for a newcomer."_

_Flushed with flattery, Sheena lightly chuckled and looked away from Zelos and his teasing. But where her eyes then traveled to made an entire difference. Instead of being infatuated with Zelos' charm, Sheena was focused in on her uniform, which was soaked entirely. But that wasn't the main issue. What made it worse, causing Sheena's blood to boil, was the detail of the academy uniform being mainly the color white, not including the red skirt. Thus, because of the color white and her uniform being wet, Sheena's clothes were see-through, almost clear in fact. Seeing as her undergarments were practically out for everyone to see, especially to the savior before her, Sheena exploded in alarm, anger, and disgust, "ZELOS!"_

_He mentioned swiftly, "And you have a sexy sense of bras if I can add."_

_Sheena replied with only a hardy slap to the crimson-haired's face, the attack causing the man to go flying to the ground. As Zelos hit the ground harshly, Sheena stormily exclaimed, "YOU PERVERT!" She scurried over to where he writhed in pain and kicked him violently in the gut before running off back to the dorms for a new set of clothes._

_Twisting around on the grass, Zelos moaned in agony, eyes clamped shut, "Aughhhh… Even after all that… It was still worth it… Definitely worth it." After being battered around, it took him a few minutes until he finally opened his eyes without wincing from the pain. And when he did, he noticed something laying in the grass in front of his face. "Huh? Well, looky here," Zelos sang to himself, picking up the sliver of paper. As he rose to his feet, he examined it closely._

_It was a rectangular sheet of paper with ancient characters written all over it. But what got intrigued Zelos the most was the fact that it was soaking wet, just like the woman he had just saved recently. Realizing he uncovered something huge, Zelos deviously smirked, "A strange piece of parchment out here all of a sudden and with these types of characters… We must have a _ninja_ in our midst."_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

However, with luck as bad as Sheena's, it isn't long from her arrival in Symphonia to accidentally reveal her secret through dropping one of her ninja seals, something Sheena would hate herself for the rest of her life… You could also even say her fate was _sealed_ from the very beginning.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[End Flashback, Present Day]**

"Oh! So that's what Zelos meant this whole time when he said 'And boy did your 'fall' go 'well'!'" Colette learned, a light chuckle escaping her lips. "It all makes sense now!"

Sheena nodded, explaining, "Yeah, that red-head Chosen to this day has been blackmailing me with the falling into the well incident ever since realizing I was a ninja. I appreciated him getting me out of the well, but after he learned I was an undercover kunoichi, I had to do everything in my power to make sure he wasn't going to spill the beans… I just never knew that included having to go through countless philandering and blackmail." The sophomore sighed, depressed at the thought.

"Well, at least you gained a new friend through the entire experience! Isn't that right, Sheena-senpai?" Colette optimistically mentioned, turning to her superior. Seeing as she wasn't walking beside her anymore, the blond girl knew she stalled behind again. And when she spun completely around, she saw that she was right. There a few paces away was Sheena standing silently, her fists curled tightly and hands shaking.

Rage and regret leaking out of her, Sheena muttered venomously to herself, shaking her iron fist, "I-I should've assassinated that pervert while I had the chance!" Sheena's teeth clenched together and her eyes began to burn with spite.

Concerned for her well-being, Colette stepped forward, "Um… Sheena-senpai? Did you say something?"

Instantly, Sheena snapped back to normal. With her calm composure returned, she rubbed the back of her head nervously, "Eh, nothing, nothing!"

"Are you sure?" the blond girl asked innocently. "You've fallen behind twice already."

"W-well…" Sheena began, eyes darting around for a good alibi. And to her good luck, which was a rare occurrence, to her left was a hallway going to one of the stairways heading up to the eighth floor. Excitedly, Sheena pointed out, "This time is because I found stairs! And this one appears to be in real good shape."

"Really?" Colette chirped, hope lingered in her voice. She ambled over next to Sheena to see for herself, and sure enough, her senpai was right. All the steps were all present and not slanted in the slightest. If you weren't to count the layer of dust sitting atop the steps, the staircase was practically new in their eyes. "Wow, it really is in good shape!"

"Yup!" cheered Sheena with a smile. "Now come on! Let's go, Colette!" Motioning forward with her hand, Sheena then hurried with haste over to the staircase.

"Okay!" Colette chirped and followed her close behind.

But alas, just as they thought all was alright with the stairway, they had forgotten to check the floorboards of the hallway first. Little did the two know that they were treading on unsafe wooden floors. Beneath their feet were panels of wood with tiny breaks all shrouded across them, something quite hard for the human eye to catch on first glance. It wasn't until a sickening _Crack! _echoed into the hall did the two underclassmen stop immediately in their tracks and look below them, noticing the very small cracks forming in between the grain of the wood. Their eyes widened at the sight, and they both knew exactly what may plague them soon if they weren't to do something.

With a gentle voice, Sheena spoke, afraid that possibly even her voice would make the floor underneath her break, "C-Colette, w-we just need to step backwards to where we came from very carefully. I-is that clear?"

Understanding, Colette murmured as she tried to stay as still as she could, "Y-yes."

"Very slowly and carefully, I'll lightly step my foot backwards first." And just like Sheena said, she lifted her foot with the utmost grace and brought it back, stepping down as if walking on a cloud. However, despite her best efforts of being as light as a feather, Sheena's weight made the wood floor buckle. Cracks starting to spread like a wildfire from where she stepped, and before she knew it, an even louder _CRACK! _emerged from underneath. The wooden panel that she stepped her foot on gave way in an instant, and the rest of the panels around her vicinity broke away as well. The shattered floorboards fell into the dark abyss below and with them they brought Sheena, falling into the freshly made hole she had just made. Feeling weightless, Sheena knew the feeling all too well and frantically cried, "Ahhhh!"

Abruptly, out of nowhere, Colette popped up, snatching onto Sheena's wrist with both hands, "I-I've got you!" Colette caught the raven-haired mid-flight, her feet dragging across the remaining in-tack wooden panels before screeching to a halt at the opening of the hole. With Sheena's body dangling above the dreadful drop, the blond freshman reassured her, "Don't worry, I won't let go!"

"P-please don't!" Sheena meekly pleaded, scared that her fate ultimately laid in Colette's hands.

Using all her reserved strength, Colette pulled with every ounce of might she had, trying to get her dorm-mate out of the hole. However, since Colette was a fairly petite girl with scrawny, muscle-less arms, she had no true upper body strength, making the task at hand extremely difficult for the blond girl. Being determined though, she tried repositioning her footing to help her achieve a better stance in pulling up her friend. But in doing so, Colette tripped over her own foot, causing her body to lean forward. Sheena eyes bulged out of their sockets as she watched her only chance of getting out of the hole fall right smack into her, and together they barreled down the shadowy abyss, screaming a deafening cry, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!"

Genis as well as his new teammate, Mithos, both stopped what they were doing and froze, listening to the ghastly wail suddenly resonate out of nowhere and then fade into silence. The two members of the heart team had finally made some great progress and were making their way up to the sixth floor by passage of one of the staircases until they had heard the strange sound. Despite having to take several detours to avoid certain obstacles in their way, throughout their travels they had never encountered something as ghostly, yet human-like, like the voice they had just heard. Puzzled at what its origins were, the two young freshman boys looked to each other for a reason.

"W-what the hell was that?" shouted Mithos, jumping up in fear.

"I don't know," said a stumped Genis, "but we just have to keep trudging forward though nonetheless. We can't stop at every single random cry in this Horror House. If we do, the other teams will beat us." The silverette pressed onward up the steps and onto the third floor, leaving his partner behind.

Scared of being alone, Mithos sped up the remaining steps, "W-wait for me!" And just as he caught up with Genis, the blond boy expressed his fear, "How can you just simply brush off an eerie phenomenon like that? Whatever that thing was might be able to kill us, you know?"

The silverette, as he walked, shrugged, "I guess it's because I'm intensely focused on making Zelos pay that I'm not afraid of anything. I feel as if nothing can stop me!" Genis pumped his fist, an energetic gleam in his eyes.

"Really?" Mithos curiously asked, blond eyebrows raised.

Genis flashed a thumbs up and beamed widely, "Yeah! After being encouraged by you, my spirits really have been lifted."

"Just like with Lloyd…" Mithos whispered quietly, stopping and deeply thinking to himself.

Realizing that his partner came to a halt, Genis turned around, confused, "Lloyd… ? What about Lloyd?"

"Well, it's just like before when you two were the only ones who could bust down the Horror House entrance. Lloyd gave you an encouragement speech and then you were suddenly enthusiastic," Mithos explained.

"Yeah, so?" replied the silverette, not getting where Mithos was going.

"It's just that… I don't understand how a human could act so kindly to a half-elf," Mithos honestly spoke. "I'm not criticizing Lloyd or anything, but I've never seen a human regard another species, whether it's an elf or half-elf, so benevolently. In my years of living, I always saw humans acting lowly to others that are not of their kind."

"Um… part of that might be because I never told Lloyd - or anyone else besides you for that matter - that I'm a half-elf," Genis admitted, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.

The blond took a step back in surprise, "Y-you never told him?"

Genis shook his head left to right, "No, I never did, and I don't think I ever will." The silverette paused briefly, his sapphires eyes softening in thought. With his sad gaze downcast to the floor, Genis gingerly confessed, "… I don't want to have to risk the friendships I have with everyone and lose them just because I'm a half-elf." Receiving nothing but a blank stare from the blond boy before him, Genis softly laughed, mocking himself. "I know, I know. I'm a coward."

Mithos unfroze, shaking his head, "N-no, no! You're not a coward, Genis. You just want to protect the relationships you've worked so hard to maintain and keep. So don't calling yourself things that you're not."

"Y-you really think that I'm not a coward?" Genis questioned, a hint of relief hanged in his voice.

"Of course! Even I'd act the same way myself," Mithos chimed. Keenly, the blond added, "Those friends you have… they must be really important to you, aren't they?"

"They are," Genis nodded, gently smiling at the thought of his two old childhood friends, Lloyd and Colette. "We go _way _back, all the way to when I first came to Iselia after leaving Exire at the age of five."

"Oh," Mithos said, "that long ago?" Being curious, the blond teen asked, "How did you meet Lloyd and Colette anyway? Well, mostly Lloyd because you two are practically opposites! You're, well, a genius, and he's… not. It's hard to imagine how you two became friends in the first place."

Genis heartily laughed, remembering the past, "That's a funny story actually. Believe it or not, but it actually relates to how we got stuck in the schoolhouse's equipment shed."

"Whoa! Seriously?" Mithos exclaimed, approaching Genis with intrigue. "You've gotta tell me the story now!"

"Weeelll…" Genis stressed, turning back around and walking further down the hall. Mithos, who kept a quick pace to walk beside him, wore a flamboyant interest face. "… It's kind of an embarrassing story for me," Genis meekly said, faint hues of red appeared onto his cheeks as he revealed such.

Bringing his hands together, Mithos promised, "I won't laugh, so please!" He pleaded with a baby, pursed face and big blinking, innocent eyes.

Caving in to the blond boy's pleas, Genis sighed, "All right, all right! I'll tell you the story. But that means we are not stopping for anymore distractions and that you must keep up with my walking pace the rest of the way to the rooftop. You got that?"

"Yessir!" announced the blond.

As the heart team continued to trek on, Genis began his tale, "Let's see here. Um… It all began on one sunny, bright day in Iselia…"

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Flashback, 10 Years Ago In Iselia]**

_The quaint, oracle town of Iselia, despite how small the little town was, was bustling with life on that sunny, bright day. Townsfolk were going about their usual business. The farmers of the local grapevine were tending to their plants that very morning, hulling several troughs of water from out of the well and pouring the water into watering cans so that they could distribute the liquid evenly throughout the plants. The shopkeepers of the town store, Halo, were busily trying to restock their goods before their regular customers came around, unpacking the fresh foods and items that they had received overnight orderly onto the shelves inside and outside of the store. Only the freshest, nicest, and best were to be sold in their shop. As for the mayor, the hefty, stout man was going about his daily rounds, greeting each villager and establishment accordingly, making sure everything was in tip-top shape and the town was running smoothly. Housewives stayed home as usual, cleaning the house and cooking for when their families returned. Husbands were out, scouting the village for any disturbances. Some men was stationary by the lookout post, while the others routinely scoured through the town in groups. The toughest of the toughest of men though were out hunting, trying to capture wild game such as rabbits, fish, and boar that inhabited the wilderness around the town. The young, juvenile children of Iselia though were not working like their adult counterparts. Instead, the little tikes were busy learning inside the town schoolhouse with the new teacher lecturing them. Since there was only one schoolhouse and a wide diversity of kids of all different ages, all the children were taught in the same atmosphere and learned the basics together. Even though teaching a wide variety of kids seemed like a challenge at first, the new teacher had organized her agenda thoroughly and was teaching the children with little to no problems at all. However, the little_ _problem that the new teacher had proved to be more challenging than teaching the class of kids in all its entirety._

_Inside the schoolhouse, the children were all listening attentively to their new teacher who had silver hair that reached just above her shoulders and hawk-like spectacles adorning her face. She wore a bright orange tunic accented with black which also had a white shirt underneath. She also wore baggy black pants and white boots. The teacher was quite young, appearing to be in her late teens. But even so, regardless of what age she looked or what age she actually was, that did not deter the fact that she was an astounding educator, lecturing with a high, cool, and calculating intelligence._

"_Now as you all now know, mana is the source of all life, more important than even water," the silver-haired teacher spoke, pacing the front of the room with an open book in her hands. "This mana originates straight from the Great Kharlan Tree itself, lying in the protection of the city of Symphonia, Aselia's main capital. But," the woman paused for a moment, scanning her audience, "how does mana from the Great Kharlan Tree get distributed to other places throughout Aselia? Can anyone explain to me that?" Her wise, examining eyes looked for a volunteer, anyone who was willing to answer such a complex question._

_Unfortunately, not all the students were all enthusiastic in sharing their theories of how mana was spread across the world. Majority of them were completely silent and gazes pinned away to their desks, each and everyone of them afraid that the teacher herself would end up picking someone at random to answer. However, there was one brave and eager soul that wanted to combat the teacher's question. They had immediately shot up their hand, waving it around upon hearing her ask for an answer. They were practically begging to be picked to speak. Seeing as she had no choice but to pick the kid, the silver-haired teacher selected, "Yes. Go ahead, Genis."_

_Gleeful when his name was called, the short, five year-old boy with similar colored hair as she, smiled from his classroom seat. He wore a blue suit covered in white, elven swirls. Even though he had the same silver hair as the teacher, his was much shorter and spikier. It was only barely enough to cover up his ears, but, even so, it still bounced as he rose to his feet. Clearing his throat, the five year-old timidly began his explanation with a soft voice, "Mana is distributed due to the seals located in different parts of the world. The roots of the Great Kharlan tree stretch very far, and each of the individuals roots end at their own unique place in Aselia. And at every end of the roots are the seals, which allow the emission of mana to surge into the vicinity around them." After he finished his mini speech, the silverette boy sat back in his seat._

"_Very good job, Genis," the teacher praised, "although you left out one detail that I was looking for in particular." Hearing that, the silver-haired boy frowned, saddened at the incompletion of his speech. "But that is all right. I'll just ask another person to help finish your explanation." With her keen eyes and hawk-like glasses to aid her in seeming like a predator, she picked out another youth. "… Lloyd Irving, tell me what exactly distributes the mana throughout Aselia."_

_She paused, waiting for a response of some sort. However, she received nothing, not even a recognition that they were called on._

"_Lloyd, your answer please?" the irritated teacher urged, becoming impatient._

_Again though, she garnered no response._

"_Lloyd?" she quipped, sending a displeased stare over her pupil's way. And to her surprise, she found him sitting in his seat with a large book in front of his face. It was an extremely rare sight, considering this student was known for not reading. For him to have a book in his presence was an uplifting sight, but the true reason of having the book with him was what made it not uplifting. Instead, as the teacher approached the boy closer, she soon realized the book was being used as a shield so he could sleep during class and not being read with. Sighing, the teacher grabbed the book and turned back to her chalkboard, shaking her head all the while, disappointed in her student. At her chalkboard, the silver-haired woman picked up a piece of white chalk, twirling it around easily in her fingers and causing her students to be left in awe, fascinated by such a small yet cool talent. With one reel back of the hand, the teacher had a gleam in her eye as she hurled forth the chalk aimed right at the brunette boy's sleeping head._

SMACK! _and the brunette was hit directly in the middle of his forehead, snapping him awake in mere milliseconds. "Ow!" cried the seven year-old brunette, clutching the area he was hit with two hands. The embarrassing scene elicited many of his classmates to bust out into giggle fits and snicker at him._

"_Lloyd Irving," the teacher called over the ruckus, trying to gain order within the classroom._

"_Oh, Professor Raine," the brunette boy said with a childish grin, "is class over with?"_

"_No, it is not," Raine smartly retorted, folding her arms over her chest. "I asked you a question, Lloyd, but you were too busy enjoying a nice cat nap to answer. Now that you are awake though, would you please tell the class what exactly distributes mana around the world?"_

_Dumbly, Lloyd scratched his cheek, gaze upward at the ceiling as if searching for the answer, "Uh… Gnomelettes?" More laughter was elicited from the students' mouths at such an absurd answer. Just the thought of little Gnomelettes carrying mana around was a comical thought in itself._

_Once more, Raine shook her head in disapproval, "No, Lloyd. Gnomelettes is not the correct answer. The correct answer is_—_"_

DING-DONG! _rang the school bell._

"_What? It's 10:30 a.m. already? Time truly does fly…" Raine muttered to herself before addressing the class. "All right! We will pick up this lesson again once you all return from recess. Carry on!" Once she announced that, the loud rampage of clamoring students rushing out of the classroom filled the air. It was as if they were a wild herd of animals. However, there was one student that she could not let loose just yet. And that one student was her little_ _problem., the seven year-old, brunette boy clad in a red suit and dark-blue overalls._

"_Oh, but not you, Mr. Irving!" Raine loudly ordered._

_The brunette flinched upon hearing his name just steps away from the door, his attempt of fleeing the classroom now diminished. He turned around ever so slowly to face his teacher, wearing a sheepish grin and rubbing the back of his head. "Yes, Professor Raine?" Lloyd answered._

_Walking to the brunette from her teacher's podium, Raine sighed, "Lloyd, didn't I stress the 'No Sleeping In Class' rule several times at the beginning of the year?"_

"… _Yes," Lloyd softly responded, hazel eyes guiltily pined to the floor._

"_Then I expect you to not be sleeping in my class. However, if you do end up falling asleep again, I'll be having you stand in the back of the room carrying buckets of water. Do you understand me, Lloyd?"_

_The red clad brunette briskly nodded._

"_Good. You'll get your book," Raine raised the book in her hands, "back after school today. But if I see you trying to use it to help you sleep in anyway during my class, expect the same punishment and the book to be taken away for the rest of the school year. This is your last warning, so please behave. I'd rather not have to punish you."_

"_Yes, Professor," Lloyd nodded again._

"_Very well. You are free to go," Raine freed him with the flick of her wrist._

"_Woohoo~!" cheerfully exclaimed the brunette boy, jumping up in enthusiasm. He spun around on his heels and rushed out the door in seconds._

_Raine could only shake her head as she turned back around, walking back to her podium. She harbored a bad feeling that the little problem, despite the lecture, was not going to be resolved. As she reached her podium, she noticed someone still in the classroom. They were sitting carefree in their seat in the front row, legs swinging contently. Being aware that it was the five year-old silverette, she asked with a concerned voice, "Genis? What are you still doing here?"_

"_Oh, hi, sis!" the little silverette, happily greeted with a smile. "Don't mind me, I'm just reading as always." And sure enough, there on his desk was an open, thick book._

_Raine frowned, her brows furrowing, "Genis… You should be outside, playing with all the other children. You can't just stay inside all day reading and studying." She walked to the front of his desk, taking off her spectacles and letting it hang by her neckline._

"_But I like to read and study, Raine," retorted Genis, an innocent look in his eye._

"_I know but," Raine paused shortly, searching for the appropriate wording, "going out, meeting new people, and making friends is important as well. We've been here in Iselia for three months now and I have yet to see you hanging out with people your age. Do you not want to make new friends, Genis?"_

_Genis let his eyes fall back down to his open book, but he did not read from it. The hesitation to reply back and the lonely flicker in his eye made it clear to Raine that the silverette was uncomfortable with such a question. Mustering up the courage, the silverette croaked, his voice wavering a bit, "… T-the only friend I need is you, sis." He stared right into his sister's eyes, and Raine knew without a doubt that her brother was being honest. Her emotions were all astray, unknowing whether to take pleasure from it or to be crushed. But what stayed true was that it hurt her to see her own brother to be so secluded. And the worst part of it was that he chose that for himself._

_Closing the book on his desk, Raine pleaded sweetly, "Please, Genis… Please go outside and play… If not for your own self, please do it for me." Her eyes shined of a compassionate mother's yet her smile reflected that of a caring older sister._

_At first there was a deafening silence between them. The little silverette boy didn't speak a word. He simply continued to stare at his closed book before him. It wasn't until he rose from his seat did he speak, "… Okay, Raine. I'll go play outside."_

"_Thank you, and be sure to have fun!" Raine called out as her brother trotted outside. She then beamed a gentle smile, hoping her brother would finally have fun just being a kid. And not only that, but she hoped her brother would possibly gain a new friend in the process. Little did she know that that new friend he would soon gain was her little problem that she could not fix._

_~ S.S.D. ~_

_Outside now underneath the beating sun, the children of the schoolhouse were all ecstatically playing their individual games in the town's main square. Girls were congregating in the shade of a large oak tree, gossiping and chatting. The more adventurous girls were enjoying a simple game of hopscotch, hula-hoop, or jump rope. For the boys, they were the most active. As the girls gossiped from underneath trees, some boys would climb the branches of those trees, picking up tiny pieces of information as they did so. Other active boys would play tag team battles or race around. But for the more physical enthusiast, those boys would play a huge game called pespila.__***3 **__It was a fairly rough game due to the fact that competitors would shove one another, wrestle, or even tackle their opponent. However, it was a fun game nonetheless. _

_Pespila consisted of two teams pitted against one another. Each side would have their own goals that they needed to guard and protect, although there are goalies that are the main defense against opponents trying to get a point. At the same time that they are guarding and protecting their goals though, the teams must somehow get the ball and score it into their opponents' goal to receive a point. Whichever team had the most points at the end of a fifteen-minute round would win that round. Pespila traditionally is played in five 15 minute round increments. But if a team is first to win three rounds, then they would win the game and the match would end. The only true rules for the game was that players could not have possession of the ball and be out of bounds or else they would have to forfeit the ball under their opponents' possession. Other than that, anything was legal. You could even touch the ball with any part of your body. So carrying the ball wasn't an illegal move, but it wasn't the most stylish and professional of ways either. The most experience could easily breeze past, kicking the ball with the feet. All in all, pespila to the boys was a definite tough guy sport, only the best of the best could play the game. Though Genis did not know that despite how smart he portrayed himself to be in the classroom._

_Shyly, the five year-old silverette ambled over to the masses of boys running around in their makeshift field, chasing after that single ball. Genis was curious as to how thrilled they were. _"How could _that_ possibly be any fun?" _Genis thought to himself, mystified at the sight of rough and tough boys knocking into each other just to gain possession of a ball. _"They're acting like barbarians…"

"_Hey, look out!" cried a young boy. Unexpectedly, out from the blue skies, came raining down that single ball that Genis once saw the boys running after was now falling straight at him. Even with the warning, it was too late. Genis didn't have reflexes quick enough to retaliate and he was hit with the ball, a nasty _Thwack! _echoing aloud. Such a nasty impact caused the silverette to lose his balance, toppling over on his back. As he regained his bearings, he slowly rose to his feet, his balance slightly wobbly but stable._

"_Ow…" Genis cried, clutching his head._

"_Sorry, Sage," apologized a boy with black hair, rushing to his side, "I didn't see you there. You okay?"_

"_Yeah… I'm fine," the silverette managed to utter through the pain._

"_Good!" chimed the black-haired youth. "Oh, but could you hand us the ball though. We'd like to finish our game." The boy pointed to below him._

_Realizing that the ball laid in between his feet, picking it up, Genis timidly mentioned as he handed it over, "I-Is all right if I join you guys?"_

"_Um… We already have an even amount of players, so_—_"_

"_He could be a score keeper!" interrupted a different boy with short orange hair. "We've always needed one since some people like to cheat and change up the score, so let Sage be the score keeper."_

"_Score keeper, huh?" the black-haired repeated, thinking it over._

_Afraid to lose the chance of hanging out with them, Genis exclaimed, "I can keep score real well! Promise!"_

"_Hm… okay. But make sure you keep the score right!"_

"_Will do!" saluted Genis, happily jogging over to the center boundary of the field, giving him a full outlook of the entire game._

_With Genis finally made their official score keeper, the game recommenced, and the rough and tough struggle began once more._

_~ S.S.D. ~_

DING-DONG! _the school bell rang again, indicating the end of recess. Initially all the kids groaned in chorus, devastated that their recess time ended so abruptly. Thirty minutes to them really wasn't a long enough break. Gloomy children began gathering up all the gaming equipment they had taken out of the schoolhouse shed and were now walking it back to store it away safely._

"_What was the score, Sage?" commanded the same black-haired boy, holding the ball firmly in his hands._

"_It was 1-1," the silverette replied._

_Angrily stomping around and kicking up dirt, the black-haired moaned as the teams started wrapping up the goals, "Man! That means it's a tied game!"_

"_You guys could always finish the game tomorrow, you know?" Genis cleverly mentioned._

"_Great idea, Sage!" applauded the orange-haired, who was now carrying the folded up goals. He approached Genis, saying, "For that, you do deserve the honors of putting away the equipment!" When he said that, he immediately shoved the two heavy goals into Genis' arms._

_Struggling to lift the weight of the goals in his hands, Genis was shaking as he inquisitively asked, "I-is this r-really a-an honor?"_

"_Of course it is!" sang the black-haired. "Whoever puts away the equipment gets to go back to class later than everyone else." He slapped Genis on the back reassuringly, but this caused the weak silverette to lose control of his grip, the folded up goals all collapsing onto the ground._

"_Ooops… Sorry, these metal goals and their nets are quite heavy," admitted an embarrassed Genis._

_Suddenly, coming to his aid was a familiar short-haired brunette, urging, "C'mon guys! He can't carry this all by himself. Besides, it's unsportsmanlike to force this all on the new guy."_

"_Oh, really?" questioned the black-haired, walking up to the brunette with sharp eyes. He shoved the ball forcefully into the brunette's stomach. "Then _you_ help him!" he venomously commanded, smirk on hand._

_Having said that, the black-haired and the orange-haired along with the rest of the players went back walking back to the schoolhouse, leaving the brunette alone with Genis._

"_Y-you don't need to help if you really don't want to," Genis softly said, trying to re-hull the goals. But alas, he was too weak to do so._

_Seeing this, the brunette bent down, dropping the ball and gathering the goals in his own arms. He lifted the metal goals with ease, proclaiming truthfully, "I wanna help, honest! I just need you to carry the ball at least." On the brunette's face was a goofy grin._

_A small smile shined on his face, and Genis thankfully responded with a nod, bending down and picking up the light ball. He was relieved that he wouldn't have to put away the equipment alone after all. Together, they carried the equipment to the back of the schoolhouse where the equipment shed was._

_~ S.S.D. ~_

_Behind the old schoolhouse was the equipment shed, lingering amongst the many plants of the wild forest, ranging from the tall, dark green trees, to thick wild berry filled bushes, to minute fields of flowers. The trek through the luscious undergrowth was a pretty hard task, especially when every step you take leads you into more brush poking your legs and branches stabbing your sides and sometimes even your face. But Genis and the brunette trudged on despite the discomfort. The skinny dirt path led them straight to the small equipment shed of the school. The shed's wooden doors were wide open, the lock was open hanging by its nook, ready for the last person to shut the doors and re-lock the shed. Since they were the last ones to put away their things, that was going to be their job for the day. Walking inside, they saw the many different tools and toys organized orderly in their assigned bins and shelves. In the far depths of the shed was their designated corner for the goals. The brunette leaned the goals on the walls, while Genis placed the ball right beside them. Once they were done, they heaved a triumphant sigh._

"_Well, looks like we're done here," declared the brunette boy, brushing his red suit of any dirt that made its way off the goals and onto him._

"_Yeah," Genis nodded. Then he quietly added, "thank you for your help_—_" but then he stopped, realizing he never caught the familiar brown-haired's name, "Um…"_

"_Lloyd Irving's the name!" excitedly announced the brunette, smiling a childish smile. "But you can just call me Lloyd."_

"_Lloyd… Oh, Lloyd!" cried Genis, recognizing the name. "You were the guy my sis held back at the beginning of recess. You know, you really shouldn't sleep in class. Raine can get real mad sometimes."_

"_Hehe," Lloyd nervously laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll try to remember that the next time I start dozing off."_

"_I'm Genis Sage by the way. It's finally nice to meet you, Lloyd," Genis said with a smile, extending his hand._

_Shaking his hand, Lloyd replied, "Sage? So you really are the Professor's brother. Cool! It's great to meet you too."_

_After they did a handshake, they both pulled away their hands. Genis soon suggested, "We should lock up the shed now. Raine'll get furious if we're gone too long."_

"_I'm right there with ya," said Lloyd._

_The two turned around, anticipating on shutting the gates themselves and locking the place; however, the wooden doors of the shed began to close on their own. Shutting with a vicious _SLAM!, _the doors trapped them in the dark room of the shed. The only light peering in was through the slit in between the doors._ _The two boys inside the shed flinched and blinked in astonishment, not expecting such events to occur. But the surprises didn't end there. A sound that sounded undoubtedly like the lock snapped closed from the outside and faint footsteps, stepping on the long green grass could be heard. Although what disturbed Lloyd and Genis was not all that but actually the sound of malicious laughter echoing just outside of the shed._

_Sprinting to the doorway, Lloyd pounded his tightly curled fists onto the doors. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing? Let us out of here!" Lloyd instructed explosively._

_Instead, the people outside only laughed more. "Sorry, Irving!" said one of them. "But that silver-haired smart-ass has got to pay."_

"_Mmmhmm!" hummed another voice. "No hard feelings, man, but you deserve the treatment too. You can't just be acting kind to some weird, white-haired loser like him!"_

"_Wait! I know those voices," Lloyd exclaimed, pressing his face to the thin slit in between the doors. With one eye he could faintly make out their hair colors. One boy had black hair and the other orange. Knowing who they were, Lloyd angrily hollered, "You two! You're gonna pay for this!" His fist punched the door, rattling the doors._

"_Oooh~! We're so scared!" mocked the black-haired._

"_C'mon, dude! Let's run away in fear," teased the orange-haired._

"_Ahhhhh!" they both fake screamed, running away back to the schoolhouse with their hands up and flailing about._

"_Those, those!" growled Lloyd, punching and kicking the door with all his might. But, even with his pent up rage, his little furies could not bust open the doors. "Those_—_Ugh!" he groaned, punching the door one last time. "I don't even know a word bad enough to describe them…" Defeated the brunette turned around, pressing his back against the shut double doors. He looked up with his hazel eyes to see how the silverette was coping, and to his remorse, the little five year-old wasn't taking the situation well. Through the darkness, Lloyd could make out the shimmering of tears dripping down from the silverette's face and the light whimpering of crying. Stepping towards him, the brunette tried to comfort him, "C'mon, man… Don't go crying on me now…" He patted Genis' shoulder reassuringly._

"_B-but," Genis yelped through tears, his voice choppy from crying, "t-this is all m-m-my fault! Y-you were j-just trying to help, a-and you were d-dragged into all this m-mess. I-it was all b-because of me… the n-new kid with strange silver hair a-and who's t-too smart for his own g-good." His sorrowful face hung to the floorboards beneath him. Muttering aloud to himself, he said, "… N-no wonder everyone hates me…"_

"_That's not true!" countered Lloyd. "I don't hate you."_

"_Y-you don't?" said a very stunned silverette, his reeling back up and facing the brunette._

"_Of course I don't!" declared Lloyd, shaking his head. "Heck, I thought we were becoming friends during all this." He smiled his goofy grin and rubbed underneath his nose with his index finger._

"_F-friends?" Genis shouted, taken back by the thought. "B-but I'm the smart new kid. How can you be friends with me?"_

"_It doesn't matter that you're smart or the new kid on the block. You're cool to me. Also, you're way more awesome than those jerks that locked us in here anyhow," Lloyd proclaimed._

_Genis chuckled lightly, wiping the trail of tears from his sapphire eyes and face, "You know, Lloyd, even though you're an idiot, I think you're cool too." He beamed a rare full smile at the brunette._

"_Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" asked Lloyd, slightly irked. Together, the two new friends laughed at the comment. Once the laughter settled down, Lloyd mentioned with a wink, "So you ready to get out of here, partner?"_

"_Ready when you are!" Genis saluted with a wide smile._

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[End Flashback, Present Day]**

"—and we've been best friends ever since," Genis finished his story.

"Hmmm…" mumbled Mithos beside him, "definitely not a coward."

"What do you mean, Mithos?" asked an intrigued Genis, his silver eyebrow up.

"Hearing your story in person, I can tell that you aren't a coward at all. With a great friend like Lloyd, I can see why you'd do your best to protect such an important friendship," explained the blond.

"Yeah… and you know, I realized something about you two," Genis mentioned. "You two are kind of alike once I think about it."

"What? Me and him alike? No way!" Mithos disbelievingly gawked.

Genis could only laugh as he revealed with a large smile on his face, "You two are both great friends of mine."

Those few words made Mithos warm up, a grin growing on his mouth. To be considered highly as a great friend was a true honor, especially considering the blond had very few friends and even accomplices to begin with when coming to Symphonia Academy. The blond boy gushed at the compliment, his grin now beaming as bright as the moonlight outside. However, that smile was wiped clean off his face upon noticing a shadowy human-like figure dash across the hallway in front of them, and then the eerie figure entered a nearby room. Its movements were completely silent so only Mithos - since he saw the creature - knew of its presence and location. With wide-eyes, he grabbed Genis' shoulders and shook him violently like a rag-doll, "Oh, my, Martel! Did you just see that _thing_?"

Prying away from the blond's vice grip, Genis asked, "Thing? What thing?"

"The dark, humanoid thing that just glided from right to left before us!" Mithos yelled, fear seeping into his voice. With a cold, unnerving chill running down his spine, Mithos pleaded, "Please tell me you saw it…"

"No, I didn't," stated the silverette, folding his arms and becoming displeased. "You must just be seeing things, Mithos. And didn't I say no more distractions already?""

"But I am telling the truth. That thing is real and it went in there!" Mithos identified, pointing off to a door two doors away from them on their left.

Unfolding his arms, Genis began walking off toward the door, announcing, "Fine, then let's go to where it is."

"What? But that thing might be what made that ghastly wail!" Mithos scampered ahead of him, blocking his path. "Anything that sounds like that could kill us in a heart-beat."

"I'm just going to show you that what you saw was nothing but a figment of your imagination and not a killer monster," declared the silverette. Undeterred of his mission, he made his way around the blond's blockade and towards the door on the left.

"But, Genis!" Mithos turned to retort but was obliviously ignored, not receiving a response but watching the silver-haired's back walk off instead. The blond heaved a deep sigh, shaking his head, "Oh, man…" He had a bad feeling about this from the very beginning and that awful feeling never left as he jogged over to Genis, who stood waiting patiently in front of the doorway that the shadow figure had retreated into.

Now that the both of them there, Genis and Mithos looked up and down the doorway, crucially noting that the door, unlike most of the others, wasn't locked but slightly open ajar. The two exchanged a quick glance, both of their eye-brows up in wonder. But Genis didn't hesitate one second in opening the door fully. With one fluid motion, Genis grabbed the rusty doorknob and pushed opened the door, stepping inside the damp, run-down room. As the heart team members walked inside the room, they immediately were greeted with a powerful gust of wind, pressing against their faces like someone smothering them. At the very instant that the wind died down, the heart team blinked furiously, re-moistening their eyeballs. Once they regained their eyesight they examined the entire room top to bottom, searching for the source of wind. Although they were accustomed to the darkness inside the Horror House, they could not find where the breeze came from no matter how skilled their eyesight was. With their very eyes they saw the abandoned, mattress-less bunk-beds adorning separate walls and straight before them, located in the middle of the entire room, was a single window sill. However, the window itself was non-existent; planks of lumber covered the window inside and out, preventing any wind passage into the room. Their sights traveled towards the ceiling, looking for any gapping holes or vents that could explain for the fury of gale. But nothing of the sort was present. Genis and Mithos after all that searching could find no plausible explanation as to the wind, nor did they spot the shadow figure anywhere in the room. The heart team was left in a stupor, stumped as to where the gust of wind came from.

"Impossible…" uttered Genis, walking into the center of the room, his eyes still darting around, "there's nothing here for there to be wind."

Standing a few steps near the doorway, Mithos hesitantly commented, "A-and that shadow figure isn't here either…" Although having said that, he was inwardly relieved on not encountering that mysterious being, for he feared the worst. But at the same time, the blond teen knew that he would get a boat load of remarks from Genis' end. He soon frowned when realizing this, bracing himself for the silverette's upcoming outburst.

"See, I was right! I told you that you were just seeing things, Mithos. It's all in your head so just relax a bit okay? This housing complex may be old, but there is nothing remotely close to the 'undead' residing here," surely decreed Genis, his arms folding across his chest. The silverette smiled a bright 'I told you so' kind of beam, trying to rub it in Mithos' face as much as he possibly could. The blond's frown only creased even more, his bottom lip protruding in defeat.

"That still leaves us with the wind materializing out of nowhere issue though. We both experienced it, so it can't just be a mere illusion… can it?" Mithos keenly questioned.

Genis shrugged, "Must've been a mere coincidence then. With all the dust in this air, I wouldn't be surprised if going insane is contagious." He swatted his right hand in front of his face, moving hoards of dust particles around and displaying just how much filth they were breathing in constantly. Some of the dust floated into his throat, making Genis cough. Through coughs he managed to speak, "Once we get out of here, the fresh air should give us back our sanity."

"Eh?" Mithos flinched, somewhat peeved. The blond boy then threw up his hands and snapped, "I telling you I am not crazy! I swear there was a shadow figure that darted in here. So stop treating me like I'm delusional!" He heavily breathed in and out through his nostrils, visibly frustrated and fed up with being tormented.

With his hands motioning up and down, Genis tried to calm his partner, "Okay. But whatever you saw come in here evidently didn't stick around. We've been led off course to see nothing; that - you have to admit - you are to blame."

Mithos' head sunk to the floor, saddened at his fault. One final time, he tried to justify his claim; however, he held no valuable proof that would support him. Mithos was left with only a measly yelp to quip with, "B-but…"

"Let's get going, Mithos. We have eight more floors ahead of us, and we can't waste anymore time," Genis briefed as he walked towards the exit, where Mithos stood in front of.

Letting loose a sigh, the blond youth rose his head. Maybe the silverette was right? It's quite possible for the whole spectacle to be only but a figment of his mind's outrageous imagination. But that doesn't answer the other phenomenon, the one they both experienced. The mysterious wind - a gale that can be produced out of nowhere. The blond haired thought not. Wind like that was impossible to achieve, and for the shadow being to disappear is very unlikely, unless they were a ninja of course, although ninja are rare in this day and age. The only conclusion that Mithos could conjure was that the shadow figure and the mysterious wind were one in the same. The being could have summoned the winds and escaped, that was a sure chance. Although Mithos had thought of a great idea, he didn't want to crush his pride any longer by trying to go against Genis in a battle of wit, so he followed Genis' wishes and turned around without a word, making his way to the exit with Genis following close behind.

However, just as they were steps away from re-entering the hallway, the same gust from before overtook them, powerfully blowing at their backs and the chilling whistling of the wind passing filled their eardrums. And in the process, the door shut with a violent _SLAM!_ The two heart team members had to wait out the wind's fury, their feet planted to the ground like stakes, not wanting to be blown around the room. When the wind relented, Mithos and Genis, who was right behind his heels, sprang to the door. Both were afraid of what their minds were thinking. Since Mithos was the one closer, his hands wrapped around the doorknob, twisting and turning it frantically. But it was no use; the door was jammed shut.

Placing his foot on the doorway's frame, Mithos attempted yanking the door open with his own weight backing him up. Yet again though, the door would not budge no matter what. Tired, Mithos let go of the knob and placed his foot back on the floor. Indignantly, the blond stated, "Now this is no coincidence!"

"I can't believe this!" exclaimed Genis, shaken up. "How can this happen twice?"

Leaning his back on the door, Mithos exhaled, "I don't know, but I think it might have something to do with that shadow figure from before."

"What? Can't you just let that go, Mithos!" Genis stomped. "We've got more important matters to think about like-"

"Genis!" interrupted Mithos, his arms flailing about. His face depicted intense alarm and distress, while his blue eyes continued to widen with every passing second.

"What now?" Genis barked sharply, crossing his arms before him.

"The window, the window!" hysterically croaked the blond. Mithos' finger pointed off to the windowsill behind Genis, and it was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.

Upon turning back around, Genis' displeased, not amused look on his face instantly transformed into one of terror. His mouth dropped to the floor and, like Mithos, his sapphire eyes widened. Its pupils shrunk up into tiny, black spheres when seeing the sight at the window. Genis then uttered with the most profound silence, "What the hell?"

At the windowsill, the deep brown colored panels of wood that once was covering up the window was now being plucked away as if it was nothing but a weak petal on a flower. One by one, the panels were yanked off, emitting the most annoying screech as the nails were pulled out. And as more of the panels were taken off, more and more moonlight seeped its way into the lightless room. The moon's eerie glow not only marked the entrance of light but something dreadful along with it. Once all the pieces of wood were gone from the window, a black hand crept up and into the window, latching onto the windowsill on the inside. Another hand followed suit shortly after. When both were tightly situated, the windowsill creaked when the dark hands began to hull something upward. The sight caused the heart team to jump, their hearts skipping more than a beat.

A black foreboding head had popped its face in front of the window. Because of the moonlight shining inside, the actual facial attributes on the head were impossible to make out. The only thing that Genis and Mithos could see was the demonic smirk and a malicious glistening in its pitch black orbs. By now, the two freshman were trembling wrecks and that only increased as the being's entire body came tumbling through the window, standing on two legs. Its body was just as Mithos had described earlier, dark all over and figure of a human.

"Alright, alright already! I believe you now, Mithos. That shadow figure does exist! Now make it go away!" commanded the scared silverette, taking a few steps backwards.

"Oh, now you believe me! Well, Genis, I don't think I can make it go away! Apparently, it's one of the deceased ghosts and it is offended that you didn't believe in its existence. And now, it wants to kill us. Great, just great!" wailed a panicked Mithos, clutching his blond head.

"I don't wanna die!" cried Genis, shaking his blond partner's shoulders.

Grabbing onto Genis' arms, Mithos calmly declared, "Don't worry, I've made up a plan!"

"You do?" Genis said. A smile crept onto his face, although it didn't stay for long.

Violently spinning around the silverette so that Genis faced the dark humanoid, Mithos kept a tight hold of Genis' arms. Now standing behind Genis like a meat shield, Mithos began to negotiate with the shadow figure, "Please don't kill me! I know what you want… You want to kill him!" As Mithos said that, he pushed forward Genis, still keeping a vice grip on his arms, preventing him from turning back around and fleeing.

"What?" Genis yelled, a newfound anger replacing his fear.

"Yes! Kill the non-believer! He's the one who didn't think you existed and mocked you. So kill him!"

Twisting his head around as much as he could, Genis exploded at Mithos, "What the hell? You know, what? I take back what I said before… You are _not_ a great friend of mine, and you are not insane either… You're _LOCO! _Now let me go!" Genis tried to flop around and twist to get out of Mithos' grasp, but the blond, despite his scrawny physique, held on regardless.

Breaking up their struggle was the evil laughter coming from the shadow figure, causing the two to turn their attention back to the window. Even though it was hard to see from the moonlight and the darkness within the room, they could see a demonic smirk on its face that stretched from ear to ear, and its pitch black orbs for eyes shined of the want of bloody, pugnacious ambitions.

Recognizing that smile and that glow in the eyes, Genis uttered, "I-I've seen that expression before…"

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Flashback, Genis' Arrival At Symphonia]**

_"Pfftshh… Ahahahahahaha!" erupted from the man before them._

_Genis, seeing the perpetrator, was pissed. "Lloyd! Why, you?" his voice rising in anger._

_Colette was on the verge of passing out but managed to speak, "Th-that wasn't nice, Lloyd."_

_"Y-you should've seen your guys' faces!" Lloyd laughed as he clutched his stomach from laughing so much. "I can use magic, so back off! And the classic… Ahhhh!" he mocked and then went back to his fits of laughter._

_Not amused at his behavior and actions, Colette and Genis both wore frowns on their faces._

_"You know what, next time something like this happens I'm not going to use magic," Genis indignantly said as he began to walk off. "I'm just going to punch him square in the face instead. That'll be way more satisfying."_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[End Flashback, Present Day]**

"It's Lloyd!" growled Genis, his eyes sharpening and his teeth grinding with rage. "He's at it again with all this spooky stuff!"

"A-are you serious?" Mithos stuttered. He was stunned so much at the revelation that he let go of his hold on Genis' arms.

"Yeah. He may be Iselia's Prankster Prince back home, but if he thinks he's gonna scare me again with a similar approach as before, he better think again… because this time… I'm gonna make him pay!" Genis enthusiastically decreed. He clenched his fists, pumping himself up. His teeth clenched together, forming a devious scowl. And finally, his eyes began to glisten with the immense build up of mana surging throughout his body. The mana's presence started to show as a blue hue radiated from Genis' body like a nightlight. It was so bright that it had illuminated the vicinity around him. Raring to go, Genis shouted a battle cry as he kicked off with his feet. He sprinted off towards Lloyd's still figure, and all the while, he reeled back his right fist, preparing for the final strike. "Nice try, Lloyd, but tricks don't work twice! Now… TAKE THIS!" hollered Genis, hurling his right fist forward at extreme speeds aimed directly in the middle of Lloyd's demonic grin.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"Achoo!" sneezed Lloyd.

The members of the star team were currently at this time in first place of all the teams. They were now walking around on the eighth floor and trying to find some sort of safe passage upward to the ninth floor. They had so far haven't heard or seen any weird disturbances, other than the decayed remnants that was inside the Horror House. But other than that, nothing strange at all. Having now been, trekking upwards for roughly half an hour now, Lloyd was getting pretty bored and the fact that Presea and Zelos were being particularly quiet through most of the trip wasn't helping. At this point, he was dying to have a conversation about anything and everything, even something about sneezing.

With his sleeve, Lloyd rubbed his nose, making sniffing noses as he did to clear his air ways. "Ugh… geez. I've been sneezing a lot lately."

"Due to the amount of dust in the air, it is quite highly for that to occur," Presea monotonously informed.

"That's true, but ever since I was little I always liked to think that someone was thinking about me," Lloyd admitted with his trademark grin.

"… I'm sorry?" Presea asked with a tilted head, not comprehending what Lloyd meant.

"Well, you see, back in Iselia there's a legend that says whenever you sneeze it's because someone's thinking about you," Lloyd explained. "Pretty neat, huh?"

"Really? And you believe in such a superstition?"

"Yeah, of course!" Lloyd cheerfully bounced, getting excited at finally creating a topic with the taciturn pink-haired. "Wouldn't you wanna believe in that?"

Presea paused before silently mentioning, "… I'd rather not."

"O-oh…" softly muttered Lloyd. _"Talk about conversation killer…"_

Like the darkness that first enveloped them when they first entered the Horror House, silence was now blanketing them. With that, an aura of awkwardness had greeted them and Lloyd was struggling to say something more. However, the brunette didn't know what to say. For one, he barely knew Presea or hung out with her for the least part. So it was quite the challenge of trying to think of something else to talk about with the pink-haired girl. Lloyd knew for a fact that she was analytical and acted very mature for someone her age. _"Maybe it'd be best to ask her questions smart people would know?" _the brunette thought. And thus, Lloyd took a wing at his new approach.

"Say, Presea, how come we aren't allowed to sneak off at night today but are able to go to a movie marathon that lasts until midnight with no problems?" asked Lloyd. "It makes no sense to me."

"Movie marathons are sponsored by the academy for the students on school grounds, so it is not a problem for students to be out after curfew. However, on the other hand, sneaking out of the dorms after curfew to leave academy grounds is forbidden. If we are to get caught being out here in an unauthorized area, we could be expelled from the academy program for trespassing," Presea warned.

"Wow… Never really thought of it like that way," Lloyd said. "But that does make sense."

Silence made its lovely appearance once more, making Lloyd feel a tad bit uncomfortable. His poor attempts of trying to get Presea into a full blown conversation was failure. He frowned at how much harder it actually was. By now, the brunette was getting rowdy and impatient, whishing that they were at the rooftop this very minute so he could go to his dorm and sleep.

"… So, Presea, um… Are we anywhere near the rooftop?" asked Lloyd with a hint of whining in his voice. He was practically dragging his feet along now, his motivation gone.

"Negative," the pink-haired replied. Even though Lloyd's whining was faint, Presea could still pick it up. "If you so wish to get to the rooftop faster, it is more efficient if we did not speak, for talking slows down progress."

"O-okay then…" agreed the brunette, taken back that she had the ability to catch his emotions like that. _"Sheesh… that was kinda cold,"_ Lloyd dismally thought, a frown on his face.

Sighing, Lloyd tagged along behind Presea, obeying her command like suggestion of keeping the small talk on mute and proceeding with a faster step. However, something was bugging the brunette teen, and he couldn't focus on staying quiet any longer. Sure he was impatient, but this time when he spoke out it was fairly important.

"Um, sorry to speak again but," Lloyd tapped the taciturn girl's shoulder, "Presea, where's Zelos?"

The two stopped in the middle of the hall, looked left and right, forward and back, but no matter where they looked, they could not find Zelos. It was like he disappeared or was left behind. With a missing member on the loose, just what were they going to do now?

"Regardless of where he is, he is aiming for the rooftop, so if we continue on we will have a high chance of meeting him there," Presea mentioned.

"Yeah, you're right," Lloyd said as they began to walk again. "Anyway, I bet that red-head is doing fine wherever he is. So I guess I really shouldn't worry after all." A smug, carefree grin growing on his face.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"Achoo!" sneezed the shadow figure. The dark being had gotten their rear end stuck in a near by metal trash bin thanks to Genis' mana infused fist. Its arms and legs flailed around as it tried to get out of the garbage bin, although it wasn't able to. It wasn't until the shadow figure had fallen over in the metal bin was when it crawled out, sprawling out on its back on the floor and clutching its face as if it would lessen the pain.

Shaking his right fist, Genis loosened up his hand after the attack. Victoriously Genis spoke, "I warned you before that if you tried to pull off any more spooky stuff that I wouldn't use magic but punch you in the face instead. What do you have to say for yourself now, Lloyd?" The silverette crossed his arms indignantly and sent a incredulous glare to the person writhing in pain on the floor of the empty dorm-room. Mithos, who stood behind Genis, watched attentively from a safe distance, afraid that he might still get attacked somehow.

The dark figure slowly picked itself off the ground, swaying left and right as it tried to regain its balance after such a whopping hit. When it pulled its hands away from its face, it examined them. Noticing blood on them, it horrifically cried, "M-my face! My beautiful face!"

Not expecting that, both Genis and Mithos uttered, "Huh?"

"Look what you did to my face, you brats!" shouted the being. Using its hands, it pulled off a black ski mask that covered its face, revealing to the heart team who was the culprit behind the trickery. They immediately jumped up in shock at to who it was.

"ZELOS?" the two freshman exclaimed in unison.

"You did all this?" questioned Mithos.

"I-I thought it was Lloyd this entire time! _I_ was wrong?" Genis admitted, flabbergasted that he was wrong for once.

"Yes, it was me! I did all this. But you brats just had to go punching in my beautiful face! Now my perfectly shaped nose is all smashed in and bloody," complained Zelos and his dripping with blood nose. "It'll take months for it to heal back to normal." The red-head brought one hand to his nose, being gentle when touching it so no more blood would ooze out.

"But you deserve it! Sneaking around dressed up in a black ski mask and trying to scare people into believing there are undead spirits around here is sadistic. You should be ashamed of yourself!" Mithos blamed, pointing an accusing finger the crimson sophomore's way. "Hmph! Isn't that, right, Genis? … Genis?" Getting no response from the silverette, Mithos turned to find Genis' back turn to them, slouched over slightly, and his curled fists before his face.

Genis then whispered to himself with shut eyes, "It may not have been Lloyd… but damn that was satisfying!" He pumped his fists up towards the ceiling overhead, smiling a large, accomplished grin. Mithos sweatdropped at the sight, grinning a meek congratulatory grin.

"Ehem! Hello~!" sang an irritated Zelos, interrupting them. His voice was nasally due to the fact that he had used both of his hands to shut his nostrils and stop the bleeding. "Injured person over here!"

Spinning around in a flash, Genis embarrassedly apologized, rubbing the back of his head, "Oh, sorry, sorry." After clearing his throat he continued, pacing the floor in front of Zelos, "Anyway, because of your unjust acts, we the heart team have the right to put you under our command and you'll be under our full time watch. You got that?" He then stopped walking and turned to face the red-haired.

"What?" yelled Zelos, appalled at the jurisdiction. "That does not help my poor, beautiful nose in any way. Besides, do you really think you can keep me under tabs?" The crimson haired smirked.

Genis and Mithos shared but a single glance and a nod between each other before the silverette asked, "Mithos, would you like to do the honors?"

"Don't mind if I do!" replied the blond. And with one flick of Mithos wrist, a bright, yellow spell circle with several unknown glyphs surrounded Zelos' hands. The circle, over time, became increasingly smaller and smaller until it had squeezed his two hands together. Zelos' eyes lightened up as he realized that the spell Mithos had cast was a level one binding spell or make-shift handcuffs to those not acquainted with magic.

"Seriously? You two are going to keep me prisoner like this?' Zelos laughed, underestimating the two freshman.

"Well, it's either this or I can fry you up right now if you'd like?" Genis threatened with a sadistic smirk. His sapphire eyes began to radiate an amber light. A circular spell glyph started to take shape beneath him, creating more ruby-red light.

"All right! You got me, you got me," surrendered Zelos, raising his wrapped hands up and down to make Genis stop. Luckily for him, Genis cancelled the spell mid-way through. The crimson hue underneath him vanished, and his eyes returned to their usual sapphire color. Seeing this, Zelos sighed in relief. "And here I thought you brats would end up burning off all my hair too. Phew, what a relief!"

"Oh, that'll be arranged later," Genis gloatingly stated, "for when _we_ win the race to the rooftop!" Zelos' mouth then went agape and his eyes glistening with fresh tears. He did not at all want to see any strand of his precious locks of crimson hair gone from their roots. Just the thought of loosing one made him want to sniffle, but the thought of loosing it all and going bald… Well, let's just say that Zelos' died on the inside.

Left speechless and traumatized at hearing his future fate, Mithos had to kick the sophomore back into shape with a shove to the back, "Now let's go, prisoner! It's time for you to open the door and let us out of here."

"Hey, hey!" Zelos quarreled. "Shoving not necessary, Blondy!"

"Whatever. Just open the door now!" coldly commanded Mithos.

As Zelos fiddled around with the door he had rigged, trying to unrig it of course and mumbling curses as he did, Genis couldn't help but heavily sigh and shake his head. The silver-haired knew that they lost too much valuable time wasting it on 'proving the paranormal'. It unnerved Genis, who was feeling frustrated at how little progress his team made. And it didn't help at all that Mithos was highly prone to paranoia and that he now had to watch over Zelos like a hawk, making sure the red-head wasn't going to pull another fast one. There were still many floors above them that they needed to scale, and the other teams were probably way ahead of them by now. They were being left behind and outdone, and such a feeling was one Genis hated. He despised the fact that he was losing the race as well as an opportunity of making Zelos pay. The thought really made him think, _"If I can't win this, can I truly become Valedictorian?"_ A disgruntled frown emerged on Genis' face. He knew that if he couldn't win something as small as this, that his chances of being Valedictorian would be slim to none. All his efforts would be for waste just like how time was for him now with the race to the top. Yet, the silverette also did know that giving up and being a pessimist was just as pathetic. However, it was hard not to be one, the temptation of taking the easy, losers' path was always in reach.

"_What can I do now?" _Genis questioned himself. His silver brows furrowed in deep thought. _"Is there something_—_anything that I can do to prevent me from losing?"_ At the exact same moment the door resounded a _Click!_, swinging open with a pull from Zelos, did the answer come to the young silver-haired. Genis' head instantly shot up from its depressed state. His eyes brightened with realization.

"_Have some faith in yourself!" _Lloyd's voice rang in his head.

Genis could only chuckle at how simple the solution was and whispered, "Believe in myself, huh?"

"Did you say something, Genis?" Mithos asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," Genis shook his head. "C'mon, guys! It's time to get going! The heart team's got a win waiting for them!" With his motivation back up and a recently discovered faith for himself, Genis charged out of the room confidently. The silverette led the group with Zelos lined up in the middle and Mithos positioned at the caboose of the line, ensuring Zelos wouldn't do anything funny and that the red-head kept up with their pace.

Zelos scoffed at Genis' comment as they briskly walked, "We'll see about that. My star team can beat you two easy; it's no contest!"

"Yet, as long as you're with us, your team can't win now can they? So we just have to make sure you don't regroup with them before we reach the rooftop, neh?" Genis toyed with a childish grin.

Zelos stayed quiet the second time, choosing it was best to not counter or give away too much information to his rivals.

Believing he won, Genis smugly said, "That's what I thought."

"It's pretty shocking though," Mithos thought aloud from the rear of the pack. "To think Zelos was the shadow caper behind the mask, behind the mysterious, materializing-out-of-nowhere winds, and even the one behind the ghastly wail we heard before. Man, I should've seen that coming, especially considering Zelos was the root of all the chaos during the campus tours anyway."

"Ghastly wail?" Zelos repeated, raising a brow. "I didn't do no ghastly wail."

"Wait, what? You weren't the one who screamed?" exasperatedly asked Mithos.

"Nope, and I'm being perfectly honest," Zelos said solemnly without a hint of hesitation or deceit.

"If it wasn't you then—" Genis trailed off, his mind racing as it looked for answer.

"—who or what did?" Mithos and Genis inquired in chorus, their gazes connecting in confusion.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"Achoo!" sneezed two girls from underneath a pile of wooden floor shrapnel. It happen to be Sheena and Colette, finally gaining their bearings from getting knocked out momentarily due to the fall down. They both stirred from beneath the debris and the slabs of wood shifted as they rose to their feet. With their hands they pushed away any of the wood panels and brushing themselves of all the countless dust and dirt that had settled onto their clothes during the time they were incapacitated. After cleaning themselves off, they scoured their surroundings getting a better idea of how far off they were misplaced from their original position before the fall.

The place Sheena and Colette happened to drop in was extremely black and damp. Darkness was everywhere around them, but luckily for them light poured in above from where they fell, illuminating a small yellow circle around them. Once adjusting to the difference in light, the two girls found out that several stone pillars jutted out of the ground and connected up into the floor up ahead. Some were worn down, toppled over on its side, while others were fairly stable and strong, holding on their own, which was a good thing, considering _where_ they were. It wasn't until Sheena rose her head, peering directly through the many holes they had made from falling through so many floors, when the raven-haired counted the exact number of flights they had just descended. Dumbfounded, her mouth dropped as she revealed where they were, "We fell all the way down to the _basement?_"

Colette, startled by such an answer, asked worriedly, "A-are you sure? You could have accidentally counted wrong."

"Yes, I'm sure," protested Sheena. "I even counted twice, and both times I counted eight broken floors."

The blond-haired girl didn't need to be a genius to calculate, "Then that means we lost all the progress we had made…" A sympathetic shimmer danced in Colette's sky-blue eyes and a depressed frown found a home on her innocent face.

"And then some," Sheena continued from where Colette left off. The sophomore couldn't help but sigh at their fate. Going up seven floors only to be brought down eight was terrible. Their progress was now sitting in the gutter, a sad number of negative one out of fifteen floors. And to think it all happened because of her carelessness and bad luck to boot. Sheena felt guilty for letting Colette down in more than one way, the literal sense and the metaphorical one. Swallowing her pride, Sheena turned to Colette, about to speak.

However, Colette interrupted tearfully, "I'm so, so, so, _so_ very sorry, Sheena-senpai!" Sheena jumped a little. Her amber eyes blinked at how fast Colette apologized before she herself could. Apparently, Sheena wasn't the only one feeling the guilt. "Because of me, we're in last place," she whispered, remorse hanging on her every word.

"No, it's my fault, Colette. It was because of my misfortune that I fell. You did nothing wrong; you just tried to prevent me from falling, but I ended up causing you to fall in too. Sorry," refuted a sorrowful Sheena.

"But, senpai! I would've been able to pull you out if I wasn't so clumsy and tripped over myself…." Colette said. Her face pinned downward, staring at her balance challenged feet.

"Colette! That wouldn't have happened if I hadn't fallen in the first place," Sheena countered once more, determined to gain the blame.

Colette didn't give in either. "But I'm a klutz!" she pouted.

"But I'm unlucky!" Sheena matched her.

Abruptly, the two girls became silent, having just heard themselves. A conversation about landing themselves in the Horror House basement that led to one about a battle of blame, trying to see who was fitting for such an award. And it wasn't like they were pinning the blame on one another, but they were pinning the blame on _themselves_. Such a realization made the two underclassmen girls to stop and see how ridiculous they sounded. Knowing how silly they were, Colette and Sheena both broke out into laughter, forgiving smiles replacing their frowns of determination.

"I can't believe I said that," Sheena managed to say through chuckles.

"We sounded so funny fighting over something so small," Colette beamed.

"We make some dastardly combination together, don't we?"

Colette nodded as she giggled, "The unlucky one and the klutz. It's no wonder how we got here in the first place."

The two laughed again, finding it morbidly humorous that their faults together would be several times worse than when they were alone. However, Colette didn't laugh long, for from amidst the walls of shadows, she saw something lingering, waiting in the blackness. Whatever the thing the blond girl saw was close to the ground, evident by the fact that its beady eyes were shining red, the only feature that was capable of seeing in the sheer darkness. Colette squinted her eyes in an effort of making her eyes focus to the darkness quicker, but it was too late. The thing with the red eyes darted off elsewhere behind the many pillars.

"Um… Sheena-senpai?" Colette asked, fear seeping in to her voice. "How long has this place been abandoned for?"

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it's been a few centuries judging by how out of shape this whole Horror House is. Why do you ask, Colette?" Sheena replied.

Gulping, Colette answered, "B-because I think they're m-monsters calling this place their home now." With her hand, she pointed off to the point where the anonymous thing disappeared to. "Something with bright red eyes was standing right there, but then it ran away behind one of the pillars."

Looking for herself, Sheena stared intensely into the shadows, "I don't see anything—" An unidentifiable object scurried from left to right from where she was staring. It was so fast that if she had blinked, she would have missed it. "No wait! It's right there!"

"N-no! It's behind us now! It's staring at me with those red eyes!" Colette, frightened, shrieked aloud.

Sheena spun around on her heels, trying to catch whatever she saw again with her eyes. However, when she made a full one-eighty, it had sped off once more behind the pillars. Inwardly, the raven sophomore cursed at its speed. If that thing was a monster, it would be near impossible to battle it at the speeds it was going. Sheena knew both her and Colette couldn't keep up, especially because they couldn't even keep their eyes on it. Whether it was because of the expansive darkness that surrounded them or the blinding moonlight that shined down from above their heads, it was difficult to see where it was and that was the worst part of it. If they could not tell where it was coming from, when it took the initiative to strike, it would surely gain a preemptive attack on them. They were sitting ducks underneath the light anyhow, begging to be pounced on.

Having nothing to do but to wait it out, Sheena prepared herself, taking on an offensive stance and closing her eyes, heightening her sense of hearing. "Whatever that thing is, it's got us cornered… And it's closing in on our location as we speak."

"What?" fearfully cried Colette. "But we're not bothering it! It should be leaving us alone, right?"

"Well, if what you mentioned before, Colette, is true… then we just might be standing right in the middle of their nesting grounds," Sheena gravely said, her eyes still shut and focusing on the sounds of rustling.

Colette didn't say anything more, liking the feeling of being oblivious of what was happening than knowing it all.

"It's currently now in a proximity that I can determine its distance from us," Sheena advised, making Colette cringe slightly. The blond girl would have rather covered her ears and not listen. Just knowing that something unexplainable was near them was bad enough, but knowing where they were in correlation with them, only one word described what Colette was feeling. _Nerve-racking._ And that feeling only increased as Sheena started the count down.

"Twenty-five meters…"

Colette furiously blinked.

"Fifteen meters…"

Colette anxiously gulped.

"Five meters…"

Colette couldn't bear it any longer. She hovered over to hide behind Sheena, timorously shaking.

"Four… Three… Two… One—"

"EYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" cried Colette from behind her, practically deafening the young kunoichi in the process.

Sheena rapidly opened her eyes at the sound of Colette's scream. If it wasn't for the fact that they were more important things she had to be concerned about, Sheena would've seriously gave a good talking to the blond about shouting in people's ears. But sadly, that wasn't the case. When Sheena opened her eyes, she saw a furry brown paw step into the small radius of the moonlight, approaching with the utmost silence and grace. Preparing for anything that was to come, the raven-haired gritted her teeth and she firmed her stance. Sheena was not planning on dying in some 'haunted' house filled with monsters, not in the slightest. And she was not going to allow that to happen to herself or Colette. Whenever that thing popped its body into the circle, she planned to start the fight to the death, favoring of being the attacker and not the prey. Although Sheena made a strategy to take the first strike, she did not take it when it came time to do so because when that thing fully stepped underneath the light, she let her guard down, her offensive stance changing to a lax one. Her amber eyes lightened up at what she saw.

"Corrine?" Sheena unsurely called out to the being before her.

Confused, Colette repeated, "C-Corrine?" Blinking open her eyes, the blond girl stepped to Sheena's side. Looking down to the ground a few paces away from them, Colette saw what was lurking in the shadows. It was a tiny fox-like creature. It had golden fur around its body, dark brown paws and legs, cobalt blue tails sprouting from hits backend and curling up into swirls. Tuffs of reddish-brown hair adorned the top of its head, while the ears were black. Surprisingly though, it's red eyes were not visible, only thin black lines were present where the eyes were. Possibly because it only needed to be opened in complete darkness?

"Hello, Sheena!" the fox cheerfully greeted.

"What are you doing here, Corrine?" Sheena skeptically asked. "I never summoned you!"

"I sensed that you were in danger, so I came to your aid!" the golden fox explained. "But when I appeared, I only saw this big gaping hole. I then knew for sure that you were in trouble so I came as fast as I could!"

"Well, that's really kind of you but circling around us in the darkness like a monster was not! I was about to attack you, you know that?" scolded Sheena.

"Sorry, Sheena," said the fox. "But I didn't know whether or not that blond girl beside you was an enemy or not."

"Oh, that's right! I never introduced you. Corrine, this is my dorm-mate, Colette. Colette, this is my summon spirit, Corrine. He's been with me every since I was little," Sheena familiarized the two, gesturing to one another with a hand.

Squatting down to the fox's level, Colette presented herself with an extension of her hand, "Hi, nice to meet you, Corrine."

Corrine, placing his paw on top of Colette's open hand, amicably responded, "Hiya, Colette! Sorry for thinking you were an enemy."

"It's okay. If it makes you feel any better, I thought the same about you too," Colette chuckled. Ending their handshake, Colette rose back up. "So, Sheena-senpai, Corrine's your summon spirit and you're a summoner?"

"That's right," confirmed the raven-haired kunoichi. "I have the power to call forth beings when I'm in danger, although I'm more of a summoner in training than a full-fledged summoner to be honest. And speaking of danger," Sheen directed herself to Corrine, "next time you feel like showing up when I'm in trouble could you please just present yourself. I'd rather not mistaken you for a monster again."

"Okay, Sheena, I will," Corrine understood.

Noticing there was nothing lying around Corrine's neck, Colette suggested, "Why don't you give Corrine a bell necklace? That way you'd know where he was at all times."

"That's a great idea, Colette!" praised Sheena. "Don't you think so too, Corrine?"

Nodding, Corrine agreed with a grin, "I love it!"

Colette brightly smiled, glad that she solved their problem. Although that smile didn't last long, Colette soon realized that their was still unfinished business left. "Good, but… that still leaves one more problem. We're still stuck in the basement and no where near the rooftop."

"Oh… yeah," Sheena gloomily muttered. "I forgot about that in all this commotion. This is so troublesome." The raven-haired deeply sighed.

"You two want to go to the rooftop? Well, I can show you guys the way if you'd like! Short-cuts and danger free, of course!" Corrine chimed, bouncing up and down.

"Really? Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" enthusiastically sang Colette. She ran over to the fox spirit, picking him up in her arms and engulfing him in a bear hug. Colette gushed at how fluffy Corrine's fur was and was amazed that even a spirit could be so cuddly. Her lips curled into a hopeful and happy smile because of it. Sadly though, her hugging did have to stop.

"Uh, Colette… You're smothering Corrine," warned Sheena.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry!" Colette rambled, setting the poor crushed fox onto the ground. Before stepping back and letting the guy get some hair, Colette patted his head apologetically. "Sorry."

"N-no, i-it's fine," Corrine managed to utter with his shriveled up lungs. After a moment of reprieve, he continued, "Now, shall I show you the way to the ladder that leads to the first floor then?"

The two girls nodded and followed behind Corrine's poofy blue tails as he led the way, the two hopeful that they weren't out of the running for first place just yet.

* * *

**Author's Note Time!**

Bravo for getting through two thirds of the Horror House Arc! The finale is right around the corner! Brace yourselves, it's gonna be a wild ride!

***2:** Based on DtNW's inventory. I don't have my copy of Symphonia so I had to settle with DtNW's layout for holding items.

***3:** Pespila. Pes = Foot. Pila = Ball. Add them together and you get Football. The sport is a combination of rough and tough rugby and american football with the flair of soccer/true football.


	10. Horror House Part 3

**Disclaimer:** Ownership of the Tales of Symphonia gang and everything related to them falls under the rights of Namco, not me.

* * *

_**Ch. 8: Horror House ~ Part 3, Dancing with Death ~**_

* * *

_Thud! Thud! Thud! _was the repetitious beat of the many footsteps sprinting around the final floor of the Horror House, the fifteen floor. The first to get there was the two members left of the star team. Then, after them, it was the heart team along with their prisoner. Last came the unlucky-klutz combo of the smiley-faced team with their guide fox. Upon reaching the fifteen floor, all the teams shot out into full out adrenaline mode. The thought of being the final floor was enough of a motivator to lug their legs as they ran. The trek up had really done a toll on their legs, making them sore and heavy. It was a if their shoes were replaced by hundred pound weights. Such a feeling was not lovely at all. But even so, the teams kept frantically searching for that one way up to the rooftop, for victory was close. All they had to do was seize it by climbing that last flight of stairs. With the thought of winning on their minds, everyone pressed onward, triumphant expressions on their faces as they ran, dreaming of what they were going to do once they were winners.

"_I'm gonna make everyone make food for me!" _thought Lloyd. He licked his lips at the thought of an endless buffet of gourmet meals.

"…" Presea thought. Apparently she harbored no true wishes.

"_Zelos has got it coming to him! If he thought getting a punch from me in the face was bad, then he'll be devastated at what he has to do when I become the winner!" _smirked Genis in thought. He manically laughed to himself.

"_A free, full-year access card to a soothing spa with massages, hot tubs, and complementary cucumbers… Yeah, the perfect prize for after running through this hellish house,"_ Mithos daydreamed.

"_Heheh,"_ Zelos laughed in his mind. The red-head smirked to himself. _"They don't have the slightest clue…"_

"_To have Zelos get the hell off my back and stop blackmailing me… I could die happy,"_ Sheena thought, sighing.

"_Hmmm… Maybe I should ask for a fox like Corrine? Oooh, oooh! Even better! A dog!" _Colette squealed in her mind.

However, in the midst of everyone's dreaming, they lost sight of what stood before them. And as they all rounded about one final corner, they all collided amongst each other, bumping heads and bodies. Stepping backwards back towards the hallways they just came from, they all rubbed their foreheads and bruises from the collision. Immediately, all their eyes bulged wide as they shared awkward glances, noticing that every team was standing at the same four-way intersection, which only meant one thing… The staircase that led to the rooftop was down the hallway that none of them came from. In concert, their heads all twirled off down the empty hall. As they had suspected, there were perfectly shaped wooden stairs leading up to a single door, and on that door was a single sign. It was a bright yellow one that said, 'ROOFTOP'. Whirling their heads back, they glued their attention on one another. They glanced up and down everyone, looking for the slightest movement that would suggest that they were going to take the suicidal plunge of initiating the first sprint up the stairs. No one dared to take that chance, afraid that they would get ganged up on, although there was one man brave enough to assert himself. His name?

"Hey, Mithos… Your zipper's undone," someone pointed out.

"R-really?" Mithos embarrassedly babbled. He looked down at his pants, but what he didn't see was an un-zipped zipper. It was a brutal impact to the face. Zelos, since his hands were still tied up from the light binding spell, used his elbow to jab the blond freshman in his face. Even though he didn't have much acceleration behind the blow, it was enough to throw Mithos off guard, causing the spell to be interrupted and the light bind around his hands to vanish. Mithos threw his hands up to his hurting face, and everyone, concerned for the blond's well-being looked at him.

"Nope!" wickedly laughed the red-head as he bolted off to the stairs when everyone was distracted.

_Zelos Wilder._

"Hey! Why you—!" Genis roared but shut himself up when he realized Lloyd had ran off behind the red-haired sophomore. "Damn it! Mithos, come on!" Genis impatiently ordered, pulling on the blond boy's arm. Being too hurt to protest, Mithos shook his head and followed. Hastily with all their remaining energy, the heart team narrowed in close to Zelos and Lloyd, who were neck and neck by now. Genis and Mithos shared an understanding quick glance, and they commenced their plan. Genis took to one side of the hall and Mithos to the other side of the hall. As they closed in next to Zelos and Lloyd, they pinned the two on the inside as they reached the bottom of the stairs, pressing against them like a sandwich. Genis pressed Zelos, while Mithos pressed Lloyd.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Brat!" growled an irked Zelos. "You're in my way!" He tried pushing away the silverette, but he failed to do so.

"No," Genis remarked, "_you're_ in _my_ way!" The silver-haired shoved Zelos more harshly than he did.

"Would you both quit shoving!" shouted Lloyd, annoyed. "I'm trying to get to the rooftop first here!"

"What? But, Lloyd, if your team wins, then that means Zelos wins too!" Mithos yelled from beside him.

"And if I lose, he loses too… I don't wanna lose my food!" Lloyd cried, running even harder. The rest of the group struggled to keep up with the increased pace.

"You're doing this just so you can make us get food for you?" incredulously asked Genis.

"Well, not get—more like _cook_ me food actually," Lloyd answered nonchalantly.

"You traitor!" Genis angrily hollered, wanting to reach over and pummel the brunette.

"Enough!" Zelos interrupted the quarrel. "None of you will win—"

"What?" the boys all said at the same time.

"—because that's for _me!_" Zelos loudly announced. Quickly he bashed into Genis first, shoving him vehemently into the wall. The silverette sharply yelped as he made contact with the wall, falling down the steps. Just as Zelos moved to shove Genis, he fluidly motioned back, tackling his own partner, Lloyd, into Mithos and forcing them both to tumble down the steps like Genis had. With all the guys left in the dust - quite literally actually - Zelos stood at the top of the staircase, scowling all the while as he placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door just like he pushed the people that were in his way. "Hello~ rooftop! Zelos sang as he stepped out into the moonlit surface of the roof, uncaring that he hurt so many people.

Below at the bottom of the stairway, the boys that fell started to sit up. The girls, who had witnessed the hole spectacle, rushed beside their sides to make sure they were doing okay. The first to get up was Lloyd. He was dizzy from the fall and was feeling disorientated when he rose too quickly. "Whoa… I-I'm seeing d-double Colette," the brunette said woozily. Lloyd grabbed onto his head to lessen the effects.

"Lloyd, are you all right?" asked Colette worriedly kneeling beside him.

"Yeah now that my eyesight's getting better now," Lloyd told her with a reassuring, warm smile. Wondering if everyone else was doing fine, Lloyd looked around. To his left was Mithos, who was rubbing his sore bottom. Sheena was busily searching for any wounds that were visible on all of them, making certain no one was bleeding. Presea was overlooking everyone and watching the vicinity, ensuring everyone was present and not going to be attacked again. However, there was one person that the pink-haired failed to find.

"Excuse me, Lloyd, but it appears that Genis is not visible," Presea informed.

"He's not?" Lloyd responded quizzically. The brunette scratched his head, stumped at where the little silver-haired could be. "I wonder what happened to him. He was just with us a while ago—"

"I'm down here, you idiot!" screamed the voice of Genis. "Now get the _hell _off my head!"

The brunette's eyes swiftly dropped down to what he sat on, seeing tuffs of silver. Lloyd immediately sweat dropped, realizing what Presea meant by 'Genis is not _visible_'. Not meaning that he was not present, but that Lloyd himself was sitting on the silverette's head, causing him to not be seen. Without a second thought, Lloyd jumped up and apologetically rubbed the back of his head, " Sorry, man. I didn't know."

Genis scoffed and mumbled, rubbing his pulsing temples as he rose to his feet, "Figures that I would get sat on not once but twice…"

Joining them, Mithos stood up from the floor and made his way to the rest of the gang, "Wait… if Lloyd's here, Presea's here, and Colette and Sheena are here—"

"—Then that means no team has won yet," Genis finished, one of his sapphire eyes twitching.

All the guys' eyes shot wide open. Glares were shared in between the heart and remaining star team, trying to intimidate and psych out their opponents. And in a cloud of dust, they were back running up the stairs at mach speeds. The race was still on.

Lloyd, on the way, snatched onto Presea's arm, pulling her behind him easily as if she was light as a feather, "C'mon, Presea!" rallied the brunette. "We can win this!" Despite not having a response, Presea stayed silent and didn't complain as she was led up the steps. So Lloyd inferred that she was all right. However, Genis did not.

"H-hey! Don't tug Presea so violently, Lloyd! She's fragile!" Genis caringly cautioned as he caught up to the star members.

Mithos whined in a whisper, "Genis obviously cares about Presea, and yet he didn't care at all when I was bashed in the face by Zelos' elbow." The blond sighed to himself, sniffling a little even. "I feel so forgotten…"

Back on the fifteenth floor at the bottom of the staircase, both Sheena and Colette traded the same unimpressed look and shake of the head after watching the guys and innocent bystander Presea disappeared through the rooftop entrance. Moonlight soon replaced their presence within the indoors of the Horror House as they left the door wide open. Breathing in through their noses and then exhaling through their mouths, they said one word, "Boys." When they felt ready, they began their casual ascent up the final stairs, and Corrine disappeared, materializing back into Sheena's heart for whenever he would be summoned at a later time. The winner's circle was long gone from their reach by now, so they didn't bother to waste their energy quarreling with the guys.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

The race to see which team would make it to the highest floor of the Horror House began at 11:00 p.m. on the dot. Less than an hour later, fifty-five minutes later to be precise, all three teams had finally set foot on the barren, forgotten rooftop of the Horror House. The dark, cloudless night greeted them with moonlight's embrace, lightening up the vicinity for everyone to see. Similar to their own dorm rooftop, the Horror House had a flat cement foundation for a roof, providing people passage to stand atop the building. For safety, concrete walls that stood four feet high adorned each of the four edges of rooftop so as to no soul would fall from the fifteen floor housing complex. Not counting the entranceway they had came through, nothing else was present on the lone rooftop. The only things keeping it company were the colossal treetops that surrounded the Horror House and whose branches were dancing in the wind, following the steady beat of the whistling gale. All the teams had then begun to idle around in a compact circle. The sound of bickering from amidst the congregation drowned out any noises rustling from the trees.

"Ah-ha!" rejoiced Lloyd with a smug grin. He raised a fist with a pompous thumb pointed to himself. "Our star team got here first, so we won!"

"What?" shouted Mithos and Genis in disbelief.

"But we all came through that doorway and made it to the rooftop at the _same_ time!" Genis retorted defensively.

"So there's no way you guys won. It was a _tie!_" Mithos proclaimed.

"Nuh-uh!" pouted Lloyd, shaking his head. "It wasn't a tie. _We_. _Won_."

Stepping forward to the brunette, Genis countered with a death glare. Gravely, Genis spoke, "It _was_ a tie. There is _no_ true winner."

Defiantly, Lloyd took Genis up on his challenge. Taking a step closer to the silverette elf, Lloyd pinned his serious gaze dead on with Genis' and hissed, "It was _not_ a tie."

"Was _to_," Genis quipped under his breath, holding back his anger.

"Was _not_," Lloyd growled, pressing his forehead onto Genis' head violently.

"Was _TO!" _Genis retaliated with a roar, head-butting his own forehead into the brunette's.

"Was _NOT!"_ Lloyd yelled furiously as he pushed back.

The two childhood friends, who were now currently bitter rivals, persistently duked it out. Their heads bobbled back and forth as they rotated who was being pushed and who was the pusher time and time again, their teeth grinded like chainsaws screeching to cut through a block of wood, and the electric sparks in their eyes clashed in a stalemate of resentment. Rather than letting the argument escalade into a full blown massacre with blood and carcasses, Colette intruded with her innocent cry, "Lloyd, Genis, please stop! We're all friends, aren't we? So we mustn't fight over trivial things."

"Colette's right," Sheena backed the blond girl up with a stern voice. "We should be capable of deciding things without getting into fights in the first place," the raven-haired paused as she walked up to the taciturn transferee standing beside Lloyd, "or dragging people around without their consent. Are you okay, Presea?"

Presea appreciatively nodded, "Affirmative. Thank you for your concern, Sheena-senpai."

"Good," Sheena said with a smile. Turning around, the young kunoichi asked the dumbfounded brunette, "Is that clear, Lloyd?" She sent a deathly glare to the boy.

"Y-yes, Sheena!" Lloyd sputtered and saluted. Then, he said apologetically, "Sorry for mistreating you, Presea."

Staying silent, Presea acknowledge his apology with a nod.

"Now that we've settled down and got things back in order, what's the big problem?" Sheena questioned aloud, laying her hands down to rest on her hips. One of her obsidian eyebrows raised as she examined the two hooligans before her.

"It's all _his_ fault!" Lloyd and Genis brashly bellowed, both of them pointing accusing fingers at one another. Realizing they had said the exact same sentence, the two freshmen's flashed each another a look of wonder; however, it soon was erased and replaced by growls of anger and haughty heads thrown in opposite directions.

"You've gotta support me here, senpai," Genis pleaded urgently. "With this thick-headed idiot around," he knocked on Lloyd's hollow skull, "we aren't going to be able to settle this rooftop race fair and square." He crossed his arms when he finished.

"What the—? I am _so_ being fair! You're the one who can't accept the facts that _we_ got here before _you_!" Lloyd bitterly remarked. Sticking out his tongue, Lloyd then added, "And for your info, I am not an idiot! Mmm!"

"You got here before us? Yeah, right! The star team and the heart team got here at the same moment, so there is no way you've won. Mmm!" mocked Genis, sticking out his own tongue at the brunette.

"Okay, so we have a tie between teams. Well, it should be simple enough to resolve an issue like that—" Sheena started to say.

"No, that's not true, Sheena! Since Zelos was the first person on our team to get to the rooftop before anybody else, we should have the dibs of being the winners, that way we'd have no tie and the problem would be solved. Piece of cake!" exclaimed Lloyd, grinning a carefree smile.

"But that's not fair! This entire race is supposed to be a team effort, so the winner should be decided by when the _whole_ team got to the finish, not by which member of a team made it first!" frantically retorted Genis. He was unrelenting in this verbal battle, and he wasn't going to give in just yet. Trying to gain, Sheena's vote, Genis pried with a blissful, boyish tone, "Isn't that right, Sheena-senpai?" He flashed a forced innocent beam her way.

"Oh, no you don't!" cried Lloyd. Knowing that Sheena was getting reeled in through childish charms, the brunette shoved Genis to the side and stepped underneath the limelight. "Winners are those who grasp victory first! Right, Sheena?"

"No," Genis said as he recovered, pushing Lloyd in the side, "they are the ones that follow the rules and are those who believe in justice! Right, senpai?"

"Ugh!" groaned Lloyd, rolling his hazel eyes, "I hate that word… Justice. Bleh! Winners don't need _justice_, 'cause we've got victory! Right, Sheena?"

"But, senpai—!" Genis attempted to refute.

"Sheena!" interrupted Lloyd.

"Senpai!"

"SHEENA!"

"SENPAI!"

The brunette and silverette fury kept badgering away at the misfortunate raven-haired's mind. If there was one thing that drove the young ninja insane, it was the fact that two naïve boys were trying to get her attention through being the loudest and most obnoxious. It was so unbearable, Sheena had placed her hands over her ears and shut her eyes, although her efforts were feeble. She could still hear the sound of her name being called. In thought, she groaned to herself. The repetition of their voices scratched away at the backboard of her mind. The horrendous vibrations irritating her sanity. If this was at all a physical object, take a record for instance, Sheena would've grabbed the record player, ripped out its cord, taken the record itself and snapped it into minute pieces of shrapnel. Then, similar to the photos previously, she would toss it up into the sky and dance around the remains, jubilant at the sound of silence. However, the event before her was not a record she could turn off or break. As a substitute, Sheena had to settle for something else, which was fighting back fire with fire, and in this case, sound with sound.

"ENOOOUUUGGGH!" erupted the traumatized Sheena. The vibrations of her voice pierced the night sky and the souls of the people before her. The first to shut their traps were Lloyd and Genis. Their mouths were left ajar as they were in the middle of a dispute, but after listening to Sheena's vocals, they muted themselves without a second thought. Following the two, anything and everything went silent. The rest of the gang stayed quiet, not even letting the sound of their breathing disturb Sheena's yen-like state. The trees that were once rustling in the wind were not rustling any longer, and the chirping of insects abruptly disappeared as well. It was as if not only Sheena's command was meant for the boys but as for the world around them too. Regaining a stable attitude, Sheena heaved in and out before she directed herself to a certain red-head and spoke, "Well, Zelos! This is _your_ competition! So why don't you help resolve this issue, hmm?"

Zelos had been the only rebellious one of the group who didn't fancy congregating into a circle. He had stayed out of it, facing his back to the quarrels forming in the gang and, instead, stared admiringly at the glowing, yellow-white full moon. A smirk broke out on his face when he heard his name. "You want my help to create a resolution to this? The answer truly is quite simple really." Zelos chuckled as he spun around on his heels, returning his attention back to the gang. Putting his right hand on his chest, Zelos chivalrously announced, "I am the _one_ and _only_ winner, so you all must do as I say." His devious smile only led everyone into more of an uproar.

"What the hell, Zelos?" shouted Mithos through clenched teeth. "That doesn't make sense at all!"

"It so _does _make sense, Blondy. Ever since you took me in as a captive, I was no longer a part of the star team, nor was I a member of your heart team either. From that moment on, I technically did not belong to any team, and so, I formed my own team, consisting of me, myself, and I! And because I was the first one to reach the rooftop, I am the winner of the race to the rooftop challenge! So ha!" Zelos explained cheerfully in mock-tone, provoking a majority of the gang.

Lloyd gritted his teeth. "You bastard! How can you do something so twisted and double cross us? This isn't fair at all!"

"Heh," Genis scoffed as he rolled his eyes, "this coming from the guy who hates the word justice."

"Shut it, Genis! Now isn't the time."

The crimson-haired threw back his head and heartily laughed, "You're joking right, Bud? With all the things I've done, you've got be a serious idiot to not realize what kind of guy I am. I'm a—"

"—dumbass," Genis intervened coolly.

"Very funny, Brat! I'm a—"

"—douche," Mithos joined in nonchalantly.

"No, Blondy, I'm a—"

"—pervert," Sheena eagerly put out.

"All right! That's it!" Zelos screamed, throwing his hands up and being fed up with getting interrupted so many times. "I—"

"—am a person who can't finish a sentence!" Colette happily popped in. Lightly clapping, the blond girl giggled, "Oooh, no wonder everyone else did it. This is really fun!"

Facepalm to the forehead. The red-haired sophomore was no longer in a defensive mood to retort. Giving up, he gloomily said, "Since everyone else is feels so inclined to do so, would you like to add something too, Presea? What do you think I am?"

"A threatening being," Presea replied monotonously, eliciting much laughter from the gang.

"G-good one, Presea!" Genis managed to praise with minimal stuttering and a smile.

"No," Presea said seriously, shaking her head. "The one I am referring to is not Zelos. A threatening being is approaching." The pink-haired girl lifted her arm and pointed off to the farther end of the rooftop where a gray cloud of smoke began closing in on their position.

"Oh, that's just fog, Presea!" Colette surely answered. "Other than visibility, it isn't much of a danger at all."

"Colette, I wouldn't say that just yet…" Mithos softly mentioned as he stared at the smoke.

Hovering in an erratic pattern, the dark gray cloud of smoke was unpredictable like nature itself. It moved slowly and obeyed not even the slightest guidance of wind. The smoke actually at some points went against the wind. Nobody said anything about it, thinking it was just their imaginations deluding them. Over time, it slowly edge its way closer to the gang, and at the same time, on occasion it would seem as if more and more smoke began to materialize from within the cloud and disperse outward, making the cloud grow bigger and bigger with each passing second. This now raised many brows, and some were now doubting that this was their imagination's doing. Caution soon became a priority as the suspicious cloud enveloped the entire gang, surrounding every inch of each and every one of them. Coughs then later escape their mouths, and the familiar tingly feeling tore through their noses. Then after, sneezes shortly followed the coughs. And after that, it was a mixture of both. Neither the coughing or sneezing was beginning to yield, and it only worsened as they felt the fog become thicker with them still in it.

"Ugh! What the hell is this fog?" Lloyd croaked through coughs. He raised the collar of his t-shirt over his nose to filter out the fog.

"Achoo! I don't know, but it's doing a toll on my heath here," Sheena sniffled.

"Your health? Who cares about your health? It's ruining my beautiful complexion, leaving all these stains on me," Zelos whined, trying to pat out the many trails that the fog put on his clothes. "Damn it! There's too much. I can't get it all off me without having more drop on by!"

"Stains?" Genis quizzically repeated. Wandering off to the crimson-haired, he brushed one of his fingers across Zelos' shoulder, picking up a wad of residue left by the ominous fog. Inquisitively, the silver-haired scrutinized the matter on his finger. He then tested the texture by rubbing his thumb and finger together. Finalizing the results in his mind, Genis deduced, "It's just dust."

"Just dust? More like the dust from hell! Look at what it's done to my poor clothes!" cried Zelos, moping about his fancy designer coat and pants.

"Worry about your clothes later. We've got more important things to worry about, like what that is off in the distance!" Mithos said.

With a finger, the blond youth pointed off to where the cloud of dust originally materialized from. What he pointed to was a much more condensed form of the gray smoke. This time it was much darker and took the form of a perfectly, rotund sphere. It floated roughly ten feet from the rooftop floor before it stopped and begun to take shape of something new. The blackened sphere of matter distorted its spherical form, twisting and turning to transmogrify into a grotesque skull of a human, except this one was five times as large as a normal cranium and was hovering without a body to support it or any lines attached. The group's spines tingled with dread as the floating skull lowered its bottom jaw and chattered its brown-grayish teeth. Sheena and Colette both shrieked out cries of fear, the guys gulped and their knees rattled as they struggled to support their weight, and Presea was the only calm soul who was capable of saying, "Enemy finally spotted."

"Eheh, Presea! Don't say something like that. You never know, it could be friendly," Sheena disbelievingly said, forcing a hopeful smile. As if to contradict the misfortunate raven-haired, materializing in a bright, white light above her was none other than the golden fox, Corrine, himself. Courageously, he took a fighting stance, ready to pounce at whatever was dangerous that may come his way.

"Grrrr!" taunted the fox, baring his tiny razor-sharp fangs. "Where's the enemy? I can take 'em and protect you, Sheena!"

Sheena sighed, lightly cradling her forehead. "Not again… I didn't summon you, Corrine, so why are you here?"

"I sensed danger! So I came running once again, and this time, I simply presented myself like you had asked."

"That's… very considerate of you, Corrine. But, now's not the best of times to present yourself…"

"What's that thing?" Lloyd curiously asked. Lloyd stooped down to the fox's level and gently tapped it on its head. He then blinked several times as he stood back up. "It's real?"

"His name's Corrine! He's a fox," bubbly informed Colette. "Hiya again, Corrine."

"Hello, Colette!" Corrine greeted with a smile. Referring to the brunette freshman, Corrine said, "So this must be the famous Lloyd. I hear many things about you from Shee—"

"—Ah-pah-pah!" Sheena hastily interrupted, picking up Corrine and wrapping a hand around his face like a muzzle. "We'll do introductions later at a more convenient time."

"Yeah, great idea, Sheena-senpai, because that floating skull thing is growing eyes out of nowhere as we speak!" Mithos informed, once again pointing off to the skull. Just like Mithos said, two black, softball sized masses began to materialize inside the eye sockets of the skull. Once it was completely filled, the black orbs burst with light until the color of the eyes changed from jet-black to a bloody red. Again, it opened its mouth, but this time an eerie shrill boomed out from it. It was so deafening that the gang had to place their hands on their ears to muffle out most of the pain.

"AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!"

"That shriek! It's the same as before," Genis realized, his eyes widening. Looking at the red-head, Genis badgered, "This has got to be another trick of yours, Zelos! Who else would try to pull off something intense and complex as this?" He sighed as he cracked his knuckles. "I thought I wouldn't have to do this more than once, but if another punch in the face will get you to stop all this madness, then so be it!" Reeling back his fist, Genis prepared to assault the red-head.

In defense, Zelos waved his hands in front of his face, "Hold your horses, hold your horses! I swear to Martel that it wasn't me! I told you before that I wasn't the one who made that shriek, and I'm telling you again that this isn't my doing. Whatever that thing is, it's as real as Corrine!"

Lowering his fist, Genis muttered as he stared back up at the flying head, "If this isn't your doing, then what _is_ that?"

As it floated in the sky, the colossal skull with blood shot eyes lowered its jaw. The jaw creaked as it did so, like a rusty hinge on a door. Once it was fully lowered, it brought the jaw back up and repeated the cycle, nosily chattering its nasty bony teeth. Puzzled as to what it was doing, the gang's eyebrows raised, and then, identical to the floating skull, they too had dropped jaws. What the skull was doing was not simply making noise for the sake of making a noise; its true purpose was to evoke other otherworldly beings, summoning more of its kind through the fog of dust. Second by second, the particles of dust began to unify in balls of obsidian light to form outlines of a human-like figure, except these humans did not have flesh, muscle, or any organs. They were nothing but bone—skeletons—and they too shared the same blood-red eyes as their ring-leader, the floating skull. Lined up in a formation like an army would in the midst of war, the summoned skeletons stood staring into the souls of the gang, waiting for the hovering head's signal.

"Well, whatever it is, it's calling some friends to join us…" meekly proclaimed Lloyd, whom was feeling petrified all of a sudden.

"More friends? That should be fun!" gushed Colette, bouncing on her heels at the presence of company.

"Uh, Colette… I don't think he means 'friends' the way you see it…" commented Mithos.

The skeletons, shortly after Mithos had said that, chattered their teeth. More clouds of dust surrounded them, but this time no more other skeletons were birthed from the fog. What materialized were ancient weapons, such as swords, daggers, spears, axes, and shields, all of which fell perfectly into their bony hands. Now armed, the floating skull made a final shriek, "AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!" And the chaos commenced. Organized in rows, they marched threateningly towards the students, readying their weapons. The gang could only shake in intimidation as they were getting overwhelmed at this sudden battle. Having no yearning to blindly fight such an adversary, they began to step backwards. However, when a single arrow was sent flying past Sheena's cheek, which sliced off a stand of her hair in the process, her thought of possibly having an amicable meeting with floating skull and company was completely diminished.

"Okay, I take back what I said! These beings are not friendly at _all_! Now let's get the hell outta here!" Sheena shouted at the top of her lungs and was sprinting off to the exit.

The rest of the gang didn't need for her to say that twice, because once they saw that one arrow, they had bolted themselves out of the danger zone along with her. However, when they made it to the door that led back down to the fifteenth floor and Sheena swung open the door, a horde of violent dust came spewing to the outdoors. Unable to keep their footing from such a powerful force, everyone was blown off their feet and harshly thrown back, hitting the cement roofing with oofs and ouches crying from their mouths. As they rose back up and rubbed their sore bottoms, their wincing faces transfigured into helpless ones upon seeing their exit covered by a road block. In front of the one and only exit they had was an edifice of bone, which soared so high and so far across that getting to the exit itself was now impossible. The group of Symphonian students were now caged in not matter how much they didn't want to.

"Damn it! The exit's blocked off!" yelled Sheena, pounding one of her fists into the impenetrable bone barrier. "And there is no way we can bust are way through to it. The bone is too tough."

With no other possible tactics left for them, they were left with one final plan of action, which many thought was pure suicide to attempt.

"Guess we have no choice but to fight…" Lloyd, surprisingly, announced calmly. His face was brooding as he valiantly glared at his foreboding enemies. The brunette, with a fluid motion, reached from underneath his Symphonian uniform to grab tightly onto two hilts before unsheathing them from the scabbards that were concealed on his back. Lloyd then gracefully spun his twin blades with enough speed to create a mini turbulent whooshing sound as he set himself on the offensive. When his swords came to a halt, Lloyd was in full out battle stance, his left blade extended in front to parry an oncoming attack and his right blade was reeled behind him, ready to whip forward and strike. A distinctive courageous glint resonated in the young brunette's eyes, and his swords too were shinning from the light of the moon, thirsting for a fight.

Although Lloyd was prepared for combat, the rest of the gang was left, once more, mouth agape in astonishment at the enthusiastic youth of a freshman.

"Y-you've had two swords on you this whole time?" Genis, Mithos, and Sheena exclaimed.

"Yup! I always do," beamed Lloyd's boyish smile. "You never know when the zombie apocalypse will begin."

"Well, we could've used those swords back when we busted down the double doors of the Horror House an hour ago…" Mithos quietly rambled to himself, wearing a peeved look on his face.

"Of course," Genis chuckled lightly, then shut his sapphire eyes, gently grabbing his own forehead and shaking it, "typical, typical Lloyd."

"But how—? How can you hide those twin blades so well? You're not even a ninja…" Sheena wondered, astonished at the feat.

"Well, Sheena," spoke Zelos, "a man must be ready for any peril that awaits him, possessing weapons and concealing them is just one of the many necessities." As he finished his sentence, the crimson-haired, similar to Lloyd, whipped out from underneath his clothes weapons. The sophomore's choice of weaponry though were not twin blades but just one majestic noble sword that rest in his right hand and circular shield on his left. Again, identical to Lloyd, he took an offensive stance of his shield held ahead of him and his sword lingering by his backside.

"You too, Zelos?" cried Sheena, stepping back in alarm at another armed man. However, the thought hit her, causing her to quip, "Wait! You knew something like this was going to happen at the very beginning, yet you still brought us here to this dangerous hell hole!"

"Actually, I didn't know that this would happen. But, I am a bit superstitious to the rumors that get around school to be honest," admitted the red-haired with a shrug.

"Why, you—!" Sheena hissed, about to pounce Zelos.

However, Colette interjected the argument using a sweet, innocent voice, "Um, you guys? Please don't fight."

"We aren't fighting!" "Why shouldn't we?" meshed the two sophomores' voices.

"Because, the enemy has arrived. We are now completely surrounded," Presea answered, pointing at the scene around the group. The skeleton army had marched in, trapping the gang in a small, enclosed bubble between them and the bone wall. This time the gang seriously had nowhere else to run, for there was no room to do so. To put simply, they were like mice backed up against the wall by a vicious, hungry cat.

"Oh, Martel! What are we going to do now? I don't want to die!" panicked Mithos.

"Never fear!" sang Colette. "Sheena's a ninja so she must have a seal that could teleport us to safety! Right, senpai?" The blonde, hopeful girl smiled at Sheena.

Sheena responded with a nervous laugh and a weak, apologetic grin, "About that… I don't have any seals anymore…"

"YOU WHAT?" boomed the gang, sending her incredulous glare galore.

"Don't go blaming me now!" Sheena defended. "After the incident last year, Tiga has put supplies under special authorization only, so we can only receive equipment only if extremely necessary."

"I wonder who's fault that is," teased Zelos with a mocking grin.

"Be quiet, Zelos!" Sheena commanded viciously.

"We have only two people that are armed… I am so gonna die!" Mithos cried, breaking down into hysterical fits.

"Snap out of it, Mithos!" Lloyd shouted back. "You and everybody else are going to live. Believe me when I say this—I got your back!" He flashed a confident, goofy grin their way and a thumbs up. "You and Genis just be sure to protect the girls as me and Zelos are fighting on the frontlines. You got me?"

"C'mon, Mithos. Believe in us and yourself!" encouraged Genis, whom patted the blonde teen on the back.

"So this is what it means to trust, huh?" Mithos murmured softly. Then raising his gloomy head, he eagerly decreed, "Alright, let's do this!"

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" rallied Lloyd from the front, pumping himself up for the struggle to come. Lloyd gritted his teeth in anticipation of his adversaries' next move.

Although surrounded in nearly all angles, the skeleton army had not attacked. The skeleton beings only stared with empty, blood-red eyes, not even chattering their teeth anymore. Staring back with an equal amount of fierceness was Lloyd's party. Lloyd was at the head of the formation, acting as leader. Zelos was at his wing, his right-hand man if he needed assistance. At the very rear were the spell-casters and girls. Using the mana within them, Genis and Mithos had fortified a large enough spiritual force field with their hands, which was to protect them from any outside magic attacks. The tension continued to mount and beads of sweat soon manifested on the brows of the men and butterflies in the girls. Everyone was edging to get it on, but none of them dared to make the first retaliation. Sensing the build of mana and restlessness of souls, Corrine decided to dissipate back into Sheena's soul, mentioning that it wasn't his battle to fight after all. However, Sheena scoffed at the excuse, knowing all too well that he had begun feeling too scared to stay and protect her. Sadly for Corrine, he would miss the main event.

In a split second, Lloyd had a rocket start, sprinting to the first skeleton he saw. With lighting speed he galloped past the skeleton being, swing his swords outward to his sides as he did so. Once he skidded to a stop mere feet behind the enemy, the skeleton's body from the bottom of his ribs and up was slice cleanly through, causing it to fall to the ground. The sounds of bones clattered on the ground, and Lloyd couldn't help but cockily grin as he opened his eyes, triumphant with his first kill. However, his enemies were no longer hesitant to strike any longer. The war had finally begun.

_Clang! _emitted from the clashing of swords. Lloyd had blocked a skeleton's sword with his left blade. Trying to pull off a counterattack, he pushed away the skeleton, whom stumbled back a few steps. Just as his opponent tried to come back, Lloyd had reeled his left sword back on his right side, and then swiftly with his left sword he vertically slashed from the ground up into the sky and shouted, _"Demon Fang!" _A bright blue essence poured out from his blade and went flying across the floor rooftop. When it came in contact with the skeleton, the skeleton was ripped of its legs, and it too fell to the ground. Tally another one up for Lloyd Irving.

Meanwhile, Zelos was doing his best to prevent any stray skeletons from wandering too close to Genis and Mithos' shield. By utilizing his circular shield on his left arm to push skeletons back and finishing them off with a lunge to the face, crying out _"Sonic Thrust!" _as he did so, Zelos easily took care of any adversaries that threatened to destroy the shield protecting his 'hunnies'.

This process of hack and slash away aimlessly at enemies was actually working fairly well for the party. And few attacks reached the barrier that which protected the rest of the gang, most of which were arrows or daggers, but since they were mystical weapons of old, they disintegrated back to dust upon hitting the magic force field. So far, so good. Soon enough, half of the enemies had fallen.

Lloyd, whom was happily slicing and dicing left and right, sprinting up and down the rooftop, had joyfully chimed in all the excitement, "Aw, man! This is sooo badass! It's like High School of the Dead!" His grin was as big as a child during their birthday; it was as if this event was his wish that was granted.

From inside the force field, Genis remarked smartly, "Well, except the fact that these are not zombies but skeletons and that High School of the Dead is not real, it's an _anime! _Now focus on the enemy, Lloyd! You still have less than half to get rid of, and mana reserves doesn't last forever you know!" The silverette was right. Out of the thirty or so members of the skeleton army that were remaining, roughly fifteen were currently now left.

"Hey, same back to you! It's no cake walk over here," Lloyd manage to retort as he narrowly dogged the swing of an axe by back-stepping. Missing its target, the skeleton's axe hit the cement, breaking into the stone and making fragments fly into the air. However, this now played well for Lloyd, for now that the axe-man's axe was stuck in the ground, he could use this opportunity for an easy kill. Shouting "_Demon Fang!_", the azure light directly struck the axe-man, blowing him to pieces, and the light kept going until it killed four other skeletons in a row. Continuing the winning streak, he fired away two more Demon Fangs, which miraculously killed five each, destroying the remaining ten. Beaming in success, Lloyd haughtily boasted, "You picked the wrong guy to mess with!"

"Nice one, Bud! That takes serious skill to pull off!" praised Zelos.

"Well, I try," Lloyd said modestly and grinning his proud smile.

Just as the two swordsmen were going to re-sheath their swords, Colette cautioned, "It's not over yet! Look! Their bones are moving again!"

Turning back to the battle field, the two swordsmen watched as the skeletons they thought were 'dead' rise back up. Those who had damaged bones or weapons repaired themselves by summoning dust, letting them regenerate back what they lost. Yet again, standing before them were thirty skeleton soldiers. In this second round, however, they were more hostile for revenge was their new goal. The gang's hope sank a bit as they realized if they continued to fight this way, they wouldn't come out victorious.

"What the hell—? Our attacks didn't kill them?" yelled Lloyd, falling back to stand beside Zelos. He didn't harbor the strength to go wildly cutting the skeletons back down again.

Informatively in the safety of the force field, Presea explained, "It is because physical attacks are ineffective to them. Attacking with physical attacks may weaken them temporarily; however, due to an undead's ability of self-regeneration, physical attacks are virtually futile. If you so wish to kill them, magic is the only thing that can inflict damage to not only their bodies but also their souls which connect them to this world."

"Magic, huh?" Lloyd said aloud, then in union, everyone slowly turned their heads to stare directly at a certain silverette.

Knowing that he was unanimously volunteered to whip out the army of skeletons by himself, Genis yelped, blinking ferociously, "M-me? B-but what happened to the plan of me being on defense?"

"That plan is in the past! Now it's 'Operation: Bring in the Mage'!" declared the brunette.

"B-but—! Mithos! Don't you need help with holding the force field?" Genis asked, hoping to get out of the responsibilities of being the man of action.

As if to mock him, Mithos replied, "C'mon, Genis! You heard the man. Besides, I can handle my own. Promise."

Sighing, Genis agreed, "Okay." The two magicians lowered their arms, making the force field dissipate. Hesitantly stepping forward, Genis entered the treacherous ring, leaving behind him the safety bubble, which he saw Mithos re-fortify when he left. There was no turning back for the young silverette now. This was his time of valor, his time in the limelight.

"Alright, welcome to the party, brat! Hope you don't die too quickly," Zelos joked from the front.

"Haha," Genis forced a laugh, "real funny, Zelos." Inwardly though, he knew, especially for him, there was a high chance of that happening. He gulped down the thought before fear made him succumb to shaking.

"Here's the deal, we'll corral these skeletons and protect you while you cast. Then, whenever your about to let loose, give the signal so we can fall back," ordered Lloyd.

"Got it," nodded the silverette. His job wasn't too hard, just simply cast and fire away. He just prayed that Lloyd and Zelos kept their bargain of the deal and guarded him as he was spell-casting. Thankfully they did despite how hard it was to keep thirty enemies at bay and somehow keep them clustered to finish them off. Lloyd, since he was the fasted, acted as the decoy, the one who distracted the skeletons and rallied them in a big group by running around them in circles. Zelos, who stayed standing in front of Genis, acted as a buffer to suppress the ones that were attempting to harm the silver-haired mage. Closing his sapphire eyes, Genis had focused on his incantation, reciting words that were not understandable to the human ear. What Genis was saying was nothing but Elven to them. The longer the incantation went on, the more Genis' hair and clothes began to flutter as if air was passing underneath him, but the gang knew it wasn't air. It was the fast flowing mana that coursed through his blood that caused an intense pressure to fluctuate from the mage. An electric-orange magic circle soon followed after the pressure, forming below his feet. Glyphs of ancient Elven writing one by one appeared within the outer rim of the circle and then formed in the inner core. The spell was almost finished; however, time did not bode well for the rest of the offensive line. They were weary from the first round and it was beginning to show as Lloyd started to slow down and get caught up in the midst of soldiers, even tripping amongst them, and Zelos, being unable to parry oncoming blows, was pushed back.

Desperately, Lloyd called out with his remaining breath, "Genis! You know when you said you'd change my definition of pancakes? Well, now's a _great_ time to do that!"

"Yeah, kid! Crowd clearance would be lovely right now!" Zelos complained as he hid behind his shield, the skeletons relentlessly pounding their clubs and swords on it.

"It takes concentration to cast a spell I haven't done before, so hold on!" Genis irritated retorted, his eyes still shut. A few more seconds passed by as Lloyd and Zelos began to perform less and less, fatigue setting in their muscles. But those mere seconds felt like an eternity before Genis suddenly announced their saving grace, "Now!" Hearing the signal, the two swordsmen swiftly ran behind the silver-haired mage, taking a well-deserved breather from fighting.

Once everyone was behind him, Genis' eyes flung back open, his eyes not sapphire orbs anymore but orange in color like that of the magic circle underneath him. Loudly, Genis proclaimed, "It's pancake time!" Then with a clenched right hand, he fiercely punched the ground with all his might, exclaiming "_STALAGMITE!_" as his fist hit. Abruptly, a violent tremor shook the building. Transcending from out of the ground were brown-orange, earth spikes. The first barrage of spikes had trapped the skeleton army, so by the time the second wave of spikes came protruding out higher up than its predecessors had, many skeletons were skewered, the nasty sound of bones being crunched resounded in the air. And when the final third wave came in, a single large, earth spike pierced the remaining few, soaring up into the heavens. As the earth retreated back into the ground, the spell now over, everyone could witness the carnage of skeleton decay back to dust. The army that had stood before them seconds before was gone in a blink of an eye and by one spell none the less. Smiles crept on the faces of the gang, and even Genis was starting to feel really good about himself at what he accomplished. He turned around to face his friends, rubbing the back of his head and slightly grinning jubilantly.

Unfortunately those smiles didn't last long, instantly fading upon witnessing danger. Atop the crumbling tower of bone, earth, and rock was a lone soldier rising from below his comrades fallen bodies. It slowly and unsteadily at first came to stand at its feet before staring directly at its next foe. Its ruby eyes shined bright through the dust of decaying bodies hovering all around him. Chattering its teeth a final time, it hostility summoned an axe in its hands and raised it above its head as it vaulted from the debris. Lloyd, realizing that it was the same axe-man he had fought, expected that he wanted revenge on him. Although that did seem logical at the time, the axe-man did not go pouncing toward the brunette. It was going after its new nemesis, Genis, whom slaughtered his allies through a single spell.

Lloyd, as swiftly as he could, tried to sprint in front of Genis, who was being targeted, to guard the defenseless mage. However, upon falling back a while earlier, the brunette had ventured too far back from the frontlines, making his run to the silver-haired impossible to manage, especially since the axe-man was already airborne and about to crash down upon the unsuspecting silverette. Helpless on what to do, Lloyd, while he continued to sprint, could only extend his hand out to Genis and shout in horror at the top of his lungs, "GENIS, BEHIND YOU!"

The rest of the gang watched on the edge of their seats, the nail biting suspense eating away at them as they saw Genis' smile get erased from his face, fading into confusion and fear. The silverette had turned back around to see soaring down from above was the axe-man Lloyd had killed earlier. Genis' sapphire eyes started to widen and quiver when the axe-man brought its axe downward, bringing the metal blade directly in-between his two eyes. At this point, the pupils of his blue eyes had shrunk to the size of a tiny pebble. The blade of the axe was now centimeters away from Genis' head. Being someone who was skilled in magic and not physical attributes, everyone thought the same morbid thought at that moment, which sent shivers up their spines.

"_He's going to die."_

And there would be nothing they could do to stop it. Colette couldn't watch any further; she couldn't bare witnessing a death of her friend right before her. The blonde girl had shut her eyes and covered her ears, afraid that the faintest, bloodcurdling scream of Genis' last moments alive would reach them. Sheena gasped, bringing her hands before her open mouth. Presea stared silently, her body not quivering unlike most; however, her eyes shone of distress. Mithos, shaken up by the sight, lost focus of keeping up the force field that protected them. The barrier had then disintegrated along with Mithos' hopes of everything being okay. Zelos stood protectively in front of them all, baring a rare grave look. On the other hand, Lloyd had kept running, believing that somehow he could save his childhood friend. But as he gritted his teeth and his muscles ached of pain during his futile efforts, he knew in the back of his mind that wasn't true.

The truth being—Lloyd couldn't save him no matter what he did.

Out of nowhere, a _BOOOOOM!_ surged out. A powerful wave of skeleton dust flew in the gang's direction, causing them to shield their eyes with raised arms. Once the gust had died down, they all, including Colette, had lowered their arms and with eyes of scrutiny stared awestruck at the cause of such noise. Amongst the cloud of dust that were kicked up into the air, the gang saw a lone figure standing exactly at the spot where Genis was. Jumping to the conclusion that it was the axe-man that was man last standing, everyone gulped down their anxiety to bare a fighting stance. Prepared they were now, although those stances eased up soon after when the dust had settled back down. They could finally see that it was not in fact the axe-man standing at Genis spot.

Lloyd couldn't save him, because he never real had to. Genis could save himself.

There standing at the same very spot where he was attacked was Genis himself with his right hand fully-open and outstretched at an upward angle before him. Trails of smoke floated away from that right hand. A spell circle of a crimson hue was beneath him, elven glyphs and all. And his sapphire eyes shinned a fiery-red. Evidently Genis, despite the pressure situation he was in, had fought back against the axe-man with a quick spell, a fire ball to be precise. The mana within him finally cooling down, Genis regained his regular sapphire eyes. Calmly yet cockily, Genis resounded a victorious mock to his dead foe, "That's what you get for messing with me."

Seeing that Genis was safe all along, everyone busted out in smiles and cheers.

Running to the silverette, Lloyd put Genis in a headlock and have him a hearty noogie, "You idiot! How could you scare us all? You could of just told us that you could do something badass like that, then we wouldn't have worried!"

"My bad," Genis said as he wiggled away from the wrath of Lloyd's noogie. "I thought you all would've guessed by now that I was capable of initiating a quick spell… Hehe, but I guess not." The mage grinned an apologetic smile as he scratched the back of his head.

"You should be!" Colette surprisingly remarked, rubbing her eyes of tears. Through sniffles she said, "You really worried us, you know?"

"Sorry, Colette, everyone," the silver-haired formally apologized.

"I've got to admit," Zelos revealed in an amazed tone, "for a brat, it was pretty impressive of you to have done a spell of a second level caliber, and not only that but a quick spell also? You earned a bit of respect from me for killing off all those enemies, Brat. But don't go thinking that means you won't have to serve me for losing the competition."

"I suspected nothing less from Zelos Wilder," Genis commented quietly to the side.

"I wouldn't declare a victory so soon," Presea warned. "The master skull has not yet to vanished. More hostiles can follow."

The instant Presea had finished saying that, the master skull had chattered its teeth and everyone sighed, knowing that meant a new army of skeletons to fight. However, as the floating skull un-relentlessly continued chomping its ancient teeth and no skeleton soldiers popped out from the layers of dust, the gang began to get suspicious of its actions. Even though no skeleton soldiers appeared, its chattering was doing something, for the skeleton dust that lingered in the air and on the floor went surging to the floating skull, congregating to form a massive current flowing all around the head skull. The violent torrent of dust twisted and turned, forming a tornado and keeping the head skull concealed inside. When the sound of chattering stopped, the dust tornado dissipated in a flash. The group of students took a step back at their new and improved foe with their agape mouths. The once floating skull was not _just_ a skull anymore. Supporting him from underneath was a full skeletal system , but it was no ordinary one. Similar to his skeleton minions were the coloration of the bones, which were a gray-ish black, although from there it differed. For one, it stood ten feet tall, and jutting out of the end of its spine was a demonic bony tail. From its ribcage was another set of arms and hands, making the master skull have four arms in total. Out from its back stretched bony wings, expanding outward into the night sky. And lastly, on the master skull's head was two yellow horns that curled like a ram's. Its eyes though stayed the same, red and menacing as always. But what made it even more terrifying than its preceding minions was the fact that it had morphed all the weapons that had been lying around into four separate swords for each hand. One was red and jagged, which was held in its right hand. The second sword, which rest in its left, was semi-straight with a half-moon like cut on the dull side of the blade. Another sword, lingering in its lower left hand, was the thin and curved slightly. And the forth, which was in his lower right, was the most unique, having an intense curve-like shape to make it similar to a scythe. This new, huge opponent wasn't going to be easy at all.

Taking the defensive, Mithos re-constructed the force field. Zelos proceeded with a cautious step to the frontlines to stand alongside Lloyd. Genis took several giant steps backwards, giving him enough space and therefore a lot of time to cast his spells. Then Lloyd, going back into an offensive pose, somberly announced, "This is gonna to be tough…" The brunette clenched his teeth and tightly gripped the hilts of his trusty twin blades for the final battle to come.

Silence then overcame the battle zone. Any and all natural sounds ceased; everyone stayed statuesque, not daring to move; everyone's breathing stopped, their chests now un-stirring; their hearts halted in mid-pump, skipping a beat. Only when a bead of sweat that fell from the tense brow of Lloyd Irving did the world come back into motion, initiated by the battle cry of the twin blade swordsman charging heroically at his opponent.

"YAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Lloyd howled, wildly slashing his blades left and right into the master skeleton's abdominal area. "HAH! TAEEE!" he shouted with each continuous strike. For his final assault, Lloyd ended his combo with a new arte. Aiming his right shoulder to the enemy, he rammed into the enemy once and then twice. On the second shove, Lloyd pushed with all his might, creating a pulsing azure-blue aura to emit from his shoulder. "_BEAST!_" and an electric-blue lion-like creature came flowing out from him and collided directly in the master skeleton's gut. Thrown off balance by such a force, the ten feet tall skeleton stumbled backwards and eventually fell on its back.

"Heheh," Lloyd smugly taunted his foe, "you don't like that, huh?"

Shakily, the master skeleton rose back up on its feet and grabbed the swords it had dropped. As if to answer Lloyd, its eyes radiated a more vivid crimson and chattered its black teeth. Dust flew around its scarred abdominal area, regenerating the bone it had lost. In just a few seconds, it was back to its brand, spanking new self. It was as if Lloyd did no damage to it whatsoever.

Seeing his healed enemy, Lloyd gulped. A nervous laugh escaped his lips as he said, "I-I guess not."

Meanwhile, over in the protection of Mithos' force field, Presea was busily searching around for something, rummaging through her pockets and school tote bag. Becoming curious of her actions, Colette and Sheena watched her as she pulled out from her bag a golden eye-patch kind of object. Placing it over her right eye, Presea examined the monster carefully.

"Presea, what is that?" inquisitively asked Sheena.

"Don't tell me you're a pirate!" Colette jumped up at the thought. In a whisper, the blonde girl added, "If so, you might have problems with Sheena-senpai since she's a ninja. So just don't tell her that."

Moving her head left and right, Presea denied Colette's assumptions, "Colette, I am not a pirate. This is a magic lens that allows the user to identify an enemy whether it be a monster or a human. It also has the capability of showing what an opponent's weakness or strengths are." A couple seconds later and the magic lens started to beep. "There! Enemy identified!" Informatively, the pink-haired told the party, "The skeleton monster that you are fighting is called the Sword Dancer."

"Sword Dancer?" Lloyd, who's head was turned to the pink-haired support, repeated in a puzzled voice at the frontlines. "Why the hell is it called _that_?" However, a strong tremor that originated before him made him whirl his head back forward. Immediately, he spotted the Sword Dancer's two blades coming down from above. Thankfully, he had quick reflexes to dodge roll to the side, making the swords slice down into the paved rooftop and not his skull. Breathing a sigh of relief, Lloyd wiped the sweat accumulating on his forehead. But Lloyd wouldn't rest easy for long, for he had the Sword Dancer's two lower blades to watch out for. Swing its swords horizontally out to its sides, the Sword Dancer would have narrowly sliced into Lloyd's throat if the brunette swordsman didn't lunge out of the way with a back-step. However, Lloyd's body began to shake and his hazel eyes became dilated from shock; his body was left traumatized by his near death experience.

Jokingly from mid-field, Zelos slapped his knee and chortled, "Oh, I know! It's called the Sword Dancer because you have to dance around its swords to live!" Apparently though, nobody else laughed along with the red-haired sophomore, not finding the word pun any bit humorous. Lloyd, especially, did not find it funny, sending only a death glare Zelos' way. Luckily for the brunette, the Sword Dancer too was offended by the comment, graciously sending a black version of a demon fang the sophomore's way. "Aaahh!" Zelos screamed as he frantically dove away from the attack. "Okay, okay! I take it back! No need to attack me anymore!" he pleaded as he rose back to his feet.

"Well, Mr. 'Great'Zelos Wilder," Genis said, "I don't think THAT the Sword Dancer is going to stop attacking any of us as long as it's still standing. If we want the attacks to stop, we're going to have to kill it once and for all."

"Then what are you doing just standing there? Cast something, you Brat!" an irritated Zelos commanded.

"I can't just go blindly casting away magic. If there's a weakness to exploit, I'm definitely going to take it, especially when our lives are at stake," Genis retorted smartly. The silverette then turned to the support group, asking, "Presea, its stats please."

"Yes," replied Presea. Searching through the magic lens, she pin-pointed the needed data. "The Sword Dancer is strong against physical attacks as you all know, but it is weak against magic, preferably those of lightning attribute."

Giving a nod and turning back around, Genis declared, "Got it!" and began focusing on his spell-casting. A purple ring this time around radiated from below him. To ensure his spell wasn't to be disturbed and his concentration broken, Lloyd and Zelos did their best in garnering the Sword Dancer's attention and all the while making sure they themselves weren't going to be hit by one of its attacks. As Genis neared the end of his spell-casting, his eyes that glistened with a violet light shot open. The mage aimed his open right hand into the sky, manifesting a dark gray cloud right above the Sword Dancer. He then clenched his fist, and a loud clap of violet light exploded from within the gray cloud. The purple lightshow began to expand until Genis lowered his fist, aiming it down on the Sword Dancer's skull, where the yellow and violet light rained down from the cloud. "_LIGHTNING!"_ was his cry as the Sword Dancer was struck, lighting up with a purple hue almost like a Christmas tree. Knowing he got a devastating hit, Genis had cheerfully jumped, "Alright! A direct hit!" However, as he continued to stare at the unwavering Sword Dancer, he noticed something was wrong. "Huh?"

In spite of its skeleton body shaking and its bones rattling against one another, the Sword Dancer was not dead. Though electricity flowed throughout its entire body, shown by the occasional wisps of purple light, the Sword Dancer stayed standing and slowly raised one of its swords up to the sky and lowered it back down to be parallel to the rooftop and targeted straight at the fighting party. Suddenly, the outstretched sword began to cackle, an amethyst light enshrouding the blade. Realizing that it had absorbed the lighting spell and accumulated it all into its one sword, they knew too late that it was going to take the attack it had been hit with and deliver it right back at them. And they only cursed even more when they had unknowingly lined up in front of it. Hastily, Lloyd commanded his party members, "MOVE!" and the brunette sprinted out of the line of fire. Genis followed his orders and dodge rolling out of the way. However, Zelos, who was caught being the deer in the headlights, didn't register the memo in time. Just as the sword reached its pinnacle, it erupted its electric, lighting blast, firing it away like a gun would a bullet. It soared untouched over the rooftop, that is until it met Zelos in his chest. He was blown away backwards so far that he flew in the middle of Mithos' force field and shattered it completely. Zelos did finally end his flight thanks to the impenetrable bone wall that trapped them but not without a harsh crash first before he slid and sat on the ground. Concerned for the crimson-haired, the girls and Mithos rushed to his side. Fortunately, he wasn't knocked out from the attack and was capable of opening up his eyes.

"Zelos, what happened? Why didn't you react in time?" Sheena worriedly asked him as Zelos regained his senses.

Wincing from the pain, Zelos lied in a hushed tone, "I-I was distracted by my beautiful reflection in my sword is all. But it's just nice to know that you, my Violent Banshee, is worried about my well-being." He gushed with an appreciative smile and sparkling eyes.

Smacking him alongside the head, Sheena scolded, "You idiot! I am not worried about you at all." Although her head was raised defiantly, Zelos swore he saw a faint redness on her cheeks.

"Whatever you say, Sheena. Whatever you say~" Zelos sang, deviously smiling to himself.

Stooping down to Zelos' eye level, Mithos asked, "Can you still fight, Zelos?"

"Of course I can! I'm the Great Zelos Wilder! A wimpy level one spell won't knock me down," Zelos proclaimed proudly. But as he tried to move to stand up, the red-haired was instantly halted, a static charge flowing through his body. "AH!" he screamed as he was forced back down. The lightning attack had done more than just hurt him but also temporarily paralyze him in the process.

"Or maybe it can…" Mithos ironically mentioned.

"Damn it," cursed Zelos through clenched teeth. "I can't be defeated like this…"

"Zelos-senpai! You shouldn't force yourself to fight, especially since your putting more strain on your body. Just relax, so the paralysis goes away faster," Colette urged in a motherly tone.

Reluctantly, Zelos obeyed, "Fine…" Speaking to the party on the battlefield, Zelos called out, "Guess you guys are fighting without me!"

"What?" Genis mumbled to himself, his hope of survival dying a bit. Turning to Lloyd, he searched for an answer, "If Zelos is out of commission, then how the hell are we going to kill an undead enemy who can heal its wounds and redirect magic attacks? At this rate we're gonna die!"

"After all we've been through, you're still pessimistic," Lloyd grumbled, shaking his head. "C'mon, even you, the super genius, should know the answer! All we need to do is make sure it doesn't do those things."

"Well, I knew that much!" Genis stomped, folded his arms, and rolled his eyes. "But just how are we going to accomplish something nearly impossible—you tell me that!"

"You simply seize the door of opportunity, or in our case _bust_ _open_ the door of opportunity!" Lloyd winked and grinned confidently, flashing a thumbs up the silverette's way. "You catch my drift?"

"That plan again," the silver-haired frowned upon recognizing Lloyd's battle strategy. "And it's suppose to be window of opportunity, not door." He criticized with a demeaning look.

"Hey! Dwarven Vow #103: If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Lloyd countered tactfully. "And it fit with the operation, so no need to hate."

"Whatever," Genis shrugged, "we'll go with your 'Operation: Door Buster' and it better work."

"There's no need to worry! Besides, what do we got to lose?" Lloyd causally responded.

"Um, let me see here—Oh, wait! I know, our _lives_!" Genis pretentiously stressed.

"Eheh… You do have a point there," Lloyd admitted with a sheepish smile. "But really, don't worry. As long as you follow my lead, this new and improved version of 'Operation: Door Buster' will kick the Sword Dancer's ass back to its grave!" The brunette stylishly swung his sword towards their enemy, pointing the end of his blade in between the skeleton's eye-sockets.

Underneath his breath, Genis dismally murmured, "We can only hope so…" The silver-haired mage, although having slight doubts, swallowed his apprehension and prepared for another tango with the Sword Dancer. Positioning his feet shoulder length apart, Genis readied himself to cast at will. "… Or else, all we've done was dig our own graves," Genis sternly revealed as he shut his eyes. An amethyst circle once more appeared beneath his feet. He was brewing another lighting spell.

Like a rocket, Lloyd took his cue, shouting, "Except that won't be the case!" and sprinted off fearlessly at his ten-foot tall opponent. Being well-educated that his attacks were futile against it, Lloyd did his best simply trying to distract the Sword Dancer, and he first did that by throwing it off-guard. The fast brown blur that was Lloyd had slid through the Sword Dancer's legs, slicing through its ankles as he slid on his bottom. When he made it out on the other side, Lloyd was quick to get back up on his feet to watch his foe fall down on one knee. Because the Sword Dancer used its hands to catch itself from collapsing entirely, its fours swords fell out of its grasp and clanged nosily on the rooftop. The Sword Dancer quickly countered with its usual regeneration technique, the dust cloud healing its wounds, and easily stood back up in a few seconds. Its swords then magically flew back into its hands, ready for battle.

Expecting it to turn around and charge him, Lloyd scanned the rooftop for an accessible escape route but he didn't have to, for the Sword Dancer proved that it was capable of more than just physical attacks. As it extended out its upper right sword, the Sword Dancer's teeth chattered, summoning forth a dark mass dome that enveloped Lloyd in total blackness. The twin swordsman couldn't see anything anymore, not even his own hand in front of him. He knew whatever dome the Sword Dancer trapped him in wasn't going to be docile. His body and mind heavily ached to get himself out of the shadow hemisphere, but when he attempted to move, he was stopped. Suddenly, an unknown and unpleasant pressure pushed into his body. It came in from almost every angle, except from below, crushing his entire being. "Ahhhh!" Lloyd hollered through gritted teeth, trying to fight through the onslaught of pain. However, as time went on, the pain only increased. Soon enough, Lloyd was experiencing pressure so intense that he could feel his organs becoming squished inside of him, like his whole body was being pressed by sharp pins and needles. He slowly felt his lungs begin to shrivel, his breath was leaving him. This only caused him to scream even louder, "AHHHHHHHH!"

Watching the horrific spectacle was Genis, who had opened up his eyes at the sound of his best friend's cry. The pupils in his purple, radiating eyes shook in uneasiness and rage. Lloyd was being slowly crushed by a gravitation spell before him, and he had yet to complete his incantation. "Lloyd, hang in there!" Genis encouraged and focused even more on his casting, knowing that Lloyd's body wouldn't be able to take much more strain from the gravity. If he didn't hasten his spell, Lloyd would be crushed to death. So in a compromise, Genis lessened the power of his spell for speed. "Let… him… GO!" commanded the silverette with an echoing voice. A bolt of lighting shot out of Genis' open palm, hitting the Sword Dancer in the middle of its chest. Startled by the attack, the Sword Dancer was broken out of its concentration; its gravity spell was interrupted and Lloyd was now free. The brunette sprawled out on the ground had clutched his chest soon after being freed, gasping for air to flow back into him and his insides to swell back to their normal sizes.

Angered that it had lost its attack was interrupted and its prey out of its clutches, the Sword Dancer directed its sword at the silver speck, intending to return the lighting blast that it was hit by. Similar to last time, the sword resonated with a violet glow until the blade was completely engulfed in the bright light. By the time that happened, the sword was fully charged and fired away the lightning bullet.

"Oh, shoot," cursed Genis in a whisper, his eyes wide in realizing that he was going through a bit of deja vu. Luckily, Genis had barely manage to side-step the bolt, although his uniform sleeve was left seared, not that he cared really. The lightning bolt sailed onward passed Genis and dispersed as it hit the bone wall, narrowly missing the group hiding in the force field. The silverette managed to hear faint squeals of terror from the attack, most of which came from Zelos surprisingly. Using his sleeve, Genis wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Phew, that was too close for comfort… Lloyd, are you okay?" he asked his partner stirring on the ground.

"Well… I'm doing better than I was in that black dome," Lloyd meekly smiled despite his soreness. Wearily, he grabbed his swords and picked himself up off the floor.

"We can't keep going on like this. If we keep fighting the way we are, we'll just accumulate more casualties. And the longer we keep fighting, the more tired you'll be and the less mana I'll have," Genis sincerely cautioned. "Whenever you plan on doing that operation of yours, you'd better do it fast or else we aren't going to last."

"I'm trying," Lloyd snarled, a hint of frustration lingering in his throat, "but no matter what I do, it won't stay down long enough for me to initiate it. That's why I need you to be casting like crazy, Genis!"

"Casting takes time! I can't rush a spell without having consequences," Genis replied. "I just sacrificed power for speed to save you, you know? And even if I do cast like crazy, it'll just send every lighting bolt back at me!"

"Not if you hit it when it's down!" Lloyd refuted. "Didn't you see what happened when I attacked its legs?"

"It fell down?" Genis answered unsurely.

"That _and_ it dropped its swords!" Lloyd distinctively pointed out. A devious grin grew on the brunette's face. "So that means…"

"Without its swords… it won't be able to re-direct the spells; therefore, it'll receive the full strike of the blow…" Genis finished in awestruck, his sapphire eyes lighting up with a glimmer of hope. He jumped in exuberance. "Lloyd you may be an idiot, but that's pretty genius of you!"

"But for this to work, we need to be synchronized all the way through. Got it?"

Genis nodded, sending a thumbs up the twin swordsman's way. "You can count on me!" The young mage immediately started up another spell afterwards.

Concentrating in on his target, Lloyd stared determinedly at the Sword Dancer. It edged closer and closer to him with every sluggish stride and step. This time Lloyd wasn't going to underestimate his foe, and he sure wasn't going to hold back any more either. He gripped his swords tighter. His hazel eyes sharpened in determination. Mana was bubbling in his veins, begging to be used. But he didn't jump the gun just yet and let his anxious side get the better of him. Lloyd needed to wait long enough for Genis to cast a strong spell, so even the slightest bit of time helped.

"I'm almost done!" Genis announced from afar.

The Sword Dancer was now mere steps away from entering the striking range, but Lloyd continued to hold back. _"Not yet…"_ Lloyd thought to himself, licking the sweat that rest on his lips. He watched as the Sword Dancer take another step and another and one last one until he could see his own reflection in his enemies swords. Although the Sword Dancer was now in range, the same meant for Lloyd as well. Swinging his blades around like a windmill, the Sword Dancer swung at him but fail to make contact, for Lloyd had swiftly dashed away, circling around until he was positioned behind the building sized skeleton, setting himself up for a devastating strike. And because of that, the Sword Dancer was about to meet its downfall quite literally.

"Ready to let loose!" Lloyd heard Genis cry.

"… _but now!" _Lloyd yelled to himself, rapidly honing in on the Sword Dancer's back. Too slow to spin around and block Lloyd's assault, the Sword Dancer received a critical hit to the back. _"HUNTING BEAST!"_ bellowed Lloyd, as he tackled his right shoulder into the spine of the skeleton. An azure lion burst out from his shoulder, crushing the vertebral bones. The foul sound of bones snapping hovered in the air as did Lloyd. He flew up high, meeting the monster face to face before he crashed back down to earth, clobbering his sword into the cement and emitting a powerful electric-blue wave from beneath. The wave of mana was so effective, the Sword Dancer had been blasted to the ground, loosing its swords in the process. Even so, it still attempted to get back up.

"Oh, no you don't! _LIGHTNING!_" Genis boomed, evoking from the skies a godly hammer of light. It rained down from above, striking the Sword Dancer on its skull while it feebly tried to rise. With no sword to use as a lighting rod to absorb the lighting, the Sword Dancer was now feeling the brunt force of Genis' spell for once. Since Genis had taken his time on casting, the spell had been considerably stronger, leaving the Sword Dancer electrified and paralyzed temporarily like Zelos was. "A direct hit to the face!" Genis mockingly declared, extremely satisfied with his magic.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Lloyd praised as he ran to the silverette and rustled his silver hair. "So you ready to send this bastard back to its grave, partner?"

"Ready when you are!" Genis saluted with a smile.

Standing alongside one another with Lloyd on the left and Genis on the right, they prepared themselves for the main event. They faced their backs to one another as they buckled their knees, crouching close to the ground. Their fierce eyes locked onto their target and their teeth grinded together. A cobalt blue light began to radiate from their bodies, showing that their mana was raging within them. And their clothes started to rustle from such intense energy presence. Just as the electric current flowing throughout the Sword Dancer was dying, the skeleton monster now finally able to stir a little, Lloyd took a deep breath and shouted, "IT'S TIME TO GET WILD!"

On that declaration, both teens' legs sprang into action, rocketing them forward at fast sprints and leaving behind a cloud of skeleton decay hovering in their absence. The duo kept close to each other, running at a constant speed. Their tempo was unchanging and their footsteps were in sync as planned. It was an exact replication of their previous feat with the massive double doors, but as they neared the Sword Dancer, it began to differ. The two freshman, as they were steps away from tackling the Sword Dancer, shoved their shoulders into their foe, knocking it back down with a vicious mana wave. Gracefully transitioning from their attack, they both took a step forward, turning inward to face one another. Together they vaulted up into the air at the same time, axel kicking the sky before pounding their feet on the cement rooftop. Another wave of mana surged out from beneath them as they did so, denying the skeleton right to get back up. They shared an understanding glance and a nod before their gazes traveled back to their opponent. Lloyd pulled his left arm far back to his own right side and Genis pulled his right arm far back to his left side. With their arms reeled backward in the middle of the two of them, a mass build of mana began to glow in between their hands. However, this mana was not the same blue hue as before; it was a mixture of cobalt and amethyst. In unison, the two boys resounded, "Roar…" They threw out their arms at the Sword Dancer. _"THUNDER BEAST!" _Flying out from their two bodies was one huge blue-violet lion with blade-like fangs and a static, razor mane. It cackled with the intensity of several lightning bolts combined as one and roared with the fierceness of a lion. The thunder beast, as it cried out, opened its massive jaws and engulfed the Sword Dancer in a barrage of electricity. On contact, the Sword Dancer's body quaked from the destructive beast and its bones, unable to take the heat, began to crumble into black ash until the thunder beast had passed through its entire body. When the beast had dissipated on the other end, the Sword Dancer and its swords were nothing but dust now. And as its remains floated up to the night sky, it had now finally joined its dead comrades in the heavens. The battle over, Lloyd and Genis shared another glance, one of triumph. They did a congratulatory forearm bump with one another and smiled big valiant beams.

"We did it!" the duo exclaimed in unison.

"I was right to believe in you, Lloyd! You're plan actually worked again. Bravo!" Genis cheered, friendly punching his bud in the arm.

"Aw, shucks!" Lloyd said, rubbing the back of his head in praise. Returning Genis' punch with one of his noogies to the head, Lloyd acknowledged, "I told you before. I wouldn't be able to do this without you, so stop showering me with the praise. You deserve some too!"

"Alright, alright!" Genis surrendered. They laughed as Lloyd released his noogie hold of Genis cranium and Genis trying his best to sort out his messed up hair.

"Lloyd, Genis!" they heard Colette call out. Turning their heads, they saw the blond girl come jogging towards them. Apparently Mithos had dispelled the magic barrier when the fighting had stopped. "Thank goodness you too are all right!"

"Of course we are! With a combo like us, nothing can beat us!" Lloyd boasted.

Shortly after Colette arrived, Presea, Sheena, Mithos and Zelos, who was being assisted around by Mithos, followed.

Zelos, somewhat sad he couldn't have been in the fray, confessed, "I'm impressed! If I could use my hands, I'd be clapping right now! For you two freshman to come together like and attack that monster, I've gotta give you major props for that. What do you call that thing anyway?"

"Um…" Lloyd pondered a bit before he responded, "I guess it'd be a Unison Attack."

"Very befitting for a technique centered on synchronicity," Presea commented.

"And to think it was based off of a childish operation nonetheless. I can't say that I'm not impressed either." Sheena also admitted.

"Great job, you two!" Mithos applauded with a gracious smile. "Because of you guys, we aren't dead and we can finally go back to civilization now that those undead people and the wall that trapped us are gone!"

Everyone laughed upon hearing Mithos. The blond boy was right, and everyone was sharing the same thought as he; they all wanted to go to their dorm rooms and crash for the night, hopefully to wake up the next morning to realize everything that happened this night was nothing but a crazy, surreal dream that they all so happened to experience.

"You said it, Blondie! After the events of today, I'm definitely going to need a lovely massage from you all when we get back," Zelos stated.

"What?" everyone distressed.

"You can't be serious, right?" Mithos asked.

"Of course I'm serious! You people still owe me for winning the competition so chop, chop! The faster we get to the dorms, the faster I'll get me my massage~" the crimson haired cooed, closing his eyes and thinking of the wondrous, soothing time ahead. However, it didn't last long, for when he felt himself hit the ground, Zelos cried and shot open his eyes, "Ooomph! Why the hell did you drop me, Blondie? We have a deal remember? Now help me back up!"

Mithos shook his head, "Sorry, no can do."

"What?"

"We've come to a consensus that your way of picking the winners is way too unorthodox, so we've decided to have a better way of choosing winners," Genis decreed.

"But you can't! I've already won!" Zelos retorted.

"No you haven't," Lloyd mentioned, wearing a mischievous smirk. "No one has… _yet_."

"Huh? What the—? What the hell are you talking about?"

"The winners will be decided by who can get out of the Horror House," Mithos told him.

"And whoever is the last one out…" Genis freighting started.

"Will be the loser who has to follow the winners every whim," Lloyd ended with the most evil grin.

Realizing what that meant, Zelos exclaimed, "Hey, but I'm a handicap here! That's not fair!"

"Well then, sucks for you, Mr. Great Zelos Wilder~" mocked Mithos in a sing-song voice as he spun on his heel and walked to the exit. One by one, the rest of the gang followed the blond boy, leaving the defenseless and mobile-less left to fend for himself atop the lone Horror House rooftop.

Frantically, Zelos said, "Y-you can't just leave me here all alone!"

"See ya later, Zelos!" Lloyd waved back at the red-head sprawled out on the ground, ignoring his pleas.

Teasingly, Genis called back, "Don't worry! Maybe those skeleton soldiers will come back to keep you company!" He chuckled to himself as he heard Zelos yelp in fear.

"Is it really a good idea to leave Zelos alone? I feel kind of bad for him," Colette whispered as they walked to the exit.

"That idiot Chosen will find a way back. Trust me, Colette," Sheena reassured. "Besides, alone time like this is a good thing for him."

"Oh, okay then!" Colette brightened up with a smile. Turning around, she told Zelos, "Have fun Zelos~"

Being abandoned to tears, Zelos croaked, "Not you too, Colette…"

The gang laughed at that and their laughter only echoed even more as they began to descend down the steps to the fifteenth floor, hearing Zelos desperate begging fade away from their ears.

"You guys! I've learned my lesson! Really! So please, could you come back and help a poor Zelos when he's down?"

The sounds of fading footsteps resounded from the open exit.

"Guys… ?"

No more sounds emitted from the open doorway.

"GUYS?"

And thus, the Great Zelos Wilder was now officially and truly flying solo.

* * *

**Author's Note Time!**

My hats off to you for finishing the entire Horror House Arc! Cue music! Haha!

My wrapping up clause would roughly cover the entire chapter, but because this chapter is so large, I won't be talking about everything. Just want to say that I apologize for the crapaction (crappy action) at the end. Honestly, that was suppose to be my best highlight and asset of the whole chapter, but I feel as if I failed my first go in writing ToS action. Next time around, I promise that it won't be so bad. I'll do my best in trying not to rush the ending through again. I'd like to re-write the third part of Chapter 8 if I could, although I'd be taking away from you guys again in the process. So I'm just going to accept failure and move on with my life.

I told many of you that this chapter would hold up to a couple of twists, so here I go! One, I introduced flashbacks. Two, I brought in Corrine for the first time as well as actual enemies, such as the Sword Dancer. And three, I took a swing at some action. Yup, some surprises were bigger than others, but I may have fallen on the delivery of action. So for you action people, remember next time around! If it happens again, feel free to bash me with your heart's content. Eheh.

**Preview:**

Next time on Symphonian School Days...

Time has passed since our gang had ventured inside the Horror House. The end of a semester is nearing, and all the while, Lloyd and Genis have been lacking in their studies. With the semester exams coming up in a matter of days, how will the two freshmen manage? Are they going to pass and be able to stay at Symphonia Academy, or will they ride the fail train back home to Iselia?

Find out in the next chapter, _'Beware of the Exams! It's Time to Hit the Books & the Gym'_!

On a random note... Happy 10/10/10, everyone~! :3


	11. Beware of the Exams!

Wait a minute, an update you say? It's true! After over a year of letting this story collect dust, I finally busted out a chapter. This chapter is actually half of what it should be, but knowing that I haven't posted in eons, I threw caution to the wind and thought, "Hey, it doesn't matter if the chapter is short, as long as it's entertaining, right?" So here you go, everyone! I know it probably won't be worth the wait to my old readers, but I hope you can find it enjoyable regardless.

And as for why SSD has more chapters than usual now, yes I did split up _Ch. 8: Horror House_ into three parts like people have suggested. I have realized how much a pain in the butt it is navigating that chapter after trying to look at it from my cell phone. That and I decided it was high time for me to stop being so stubborn. So there you go! Now future readers will thank you for fixing that long chapter. So kudos!

**Kudos Corner: Dr. Bob, OkonoMiyagi, Cafe-Publications, kikkiclow88, tiger002, Canada Cowboy, Rogue Soul Alchemist, **and **Shimonu7661**. Thank you to you all for reviewing! I appreciate all of you for your feedback, and I hope that I listened and put into action some of your suggestions.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything pertaining to Tales of Symphonia. If I did, I'd probably be attacked for taking so long to write/type-out an alternate universe re-telling of the gang. Eheh…

* * *

_**Ch. 9: Beware of the Exams!  
**_

* * *

**[Monday]**

Weeks have past since the last full-moon hung over the Symphonian gang. The last time they were underneath such a murky moonlight was during the Horror House Initiation. Now, being a month later and back to the civilized city, the boys and girls have settled down their fears of the otherworldly and the undead to focus on more germane matters, like returning to their crucial education at the academy. The first trimester final exams were only a few days away, and that meant a lot of long and sleepless nights devoted studying were to come. For most students, it was quite easy to immerse themselves in the well-known routine of read _this_ book and take notes, read _that_ book and take notes—then, rinse and repeat! However, not all students could be that enthusiastic about a world of knowledge. But with their status as a Symphonia Academy Student at stake, there were few souls willing to chance passing their finals and staying in the program. Of course, you can image who those few souls that did were. A certain idiotic brunette fell under that few.

"Lloyd! Could you be any louder?" spouted Genis, in a mordant tone. The silverette sat on top of his own bed, his legs in a criss-cross manner. Surrounding him, in a half circle, was the ultimate assortment of tools to assist him in his battle against English, Math, Science, Reading, and Writing: a calculator, a writing pad, a pen and pencil, a retractable eraser, a laptop for internet use, and right smack in the middle of his lap was a colossal book—weighing a total of ten pounds!—to solidify his knowledge on all subjects. Distracted by the repetitive shouts and gunshots mere feet away though, Genis tore his nose away from his book, and looked up to grouse at his guest. "You know, I'm trying to study for finals week coming up, and the constant racket from you isn't helping me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" the brunette retaliated without even glancing Genis' way. Lloyd was too busy, also. But opposite to his friend, Lloyd had a different array of arsenal at his disposal that laid around him: a fan, an energy drink, a television controller and a game controller, a bag of chips, a massage pad for excess comfort, and he, recumbent, was more than content sitting in his gamer chair, staring hypnotized at the television screen before him. The flashing lights of gunfire danced across the screen and the sight of enemies falling only enticed Lloyd to lean-in closer, resting at the edge of his seat. He was definitely immersed in his 'work' now.

This caused Genis to release a very stressed groan from the depths of his throat while he shook his head dejectedly at the sight before him. Having experienced days like this before, Genis knew it was futile to try to make Lloyd stop playing his video game, so Genis reluctantly returned to his study-guide booklet, flipping the pages to a new section and picking up the writing pad, as well as a pencil, and began to write.

"_Okay," _Genis thought to himself, tapping the English passage he was reading with the eraser end of the pencil. _"It says here that 'a red herring is something that is used to distract attention from the real issue.'" _Switching the pencil to the lead end, Genis then flew to the paper beside him and jotted down notes. _"Alright then… Red herring - something that—"_

"C'mon, c'mon!" interrupted Genis' writing progress. With a peeved glare, Genis found that Lloyd's video game had gotten severely intense, getting swarmed by waves of minions and, the brunette's forehead, sweat pools of concentration.

"Whittle down the boss-bastard's health already! We're wasting too much time! The other team can't hold the line much longer!" Lloyd urgently commanded the pixel partners in his party. He pressed even more violently on the controller buttons and analog sticks under the pressure.

Genis sighed, shaking his head once more and thought, _"What an idiot," _then returned to his writing. _"Where was I again…" _He skimmed over the sentence he wrote. _"Oh yeah! Something that"_—He picked up where he left off—_"is used… to dis—"_

"Nononononono!" panicked Lloyd, bouncing up and down in his seat.

Genis breathed deeply then tried again, _"To distr—"_

"How the hell did you two DIE?" Lloyd threw his hands to his head and screamed in disbelief.

And again, _"Distrac—!"_

"Do I HAVE to do this by myself, or what?" he questioned no one in particular.

And again, _"Distract attention—!"_

"WHAT THE FUUUUUU—!" Lloyd shot out of his chair and stood up.

_SNAP!_

"Huh?" Lloyd paused his game, ending the deafening exchange of bullets and magic, and finally spun his head around to the random sound.

The lead tip of Genis' pencil had just broke off completely and he could write no longer.

"Dang… Sucks for you!" Lloyd bluntly said, sat back down in his gamer chair, and picked up his back of chips and started to munch on more of it, with the occasional swig of energy drink here and there.

Though offended by the childish quip, Genis, relieved, sighed, _"At least he's taking a break now… which means I can finish taking notes!" _With a renewed spirit, Genis reached for another writing utensil. _"Good thing I have a pen—this surely won't break!" _And he attacked the pad where he left off. _"Distract attention from… the… real…" _Genis smirked to himself. One more word until he was finished with 'red herring' and he hadn't heard a peep from Lloyd.

'Issue.'

That's what Genis needed to write, but, ironically enough, it's what he had: an 'issue.'

_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_

Genis' writing hand jerked in surprise. The result: his entire page of notes on English ruined by a single sporadic scribble. It was at this moment when the silverette was breeding with regret. Regret that he had decided on using a pen…

"AH-HA! Eat nuke, you reaper!" Lloyd rejoiced from the explosive sound and the vivid, seizure lightshow coming from his screen. "We humans will never go down without a fight!"

And regret that he ever let _him _into his room while he was studying.

"Alright… THAT'S IT!" Genis matched the previous explosion with his own, tossing into the air his study materials in the process. "Enough with the games! I've had it with trying to study while you're over there being obnoxiously loud!"

"But I'm saving the world here! Heck, the _universe _even!" Lloyd defensively retorted, as he paused his game so he could turn his head and face him.

Crossing his arms, Genis raised an eyebrow, questioning, "Oh, really?" He promptly jumped off of his bed, and he went straight to Lloyd, who was still sitting in his gamer chair. Genis, catching Lloyd off-guard, snatched Lloyd's controller right from under his nose, eliciting much cries from the brunette to 'Give it back.' Swiftly, Genis made his way to defiantly walk in the danger zone, the line of sight between Lloyd and his video game. But before the brunette could take action to remove him, Genis spoke gravely, "You think playing a shooter game will save the world?"

"Actually it's an _RPG _shooter, thank you very much! And heck yeah, of course! In almost every RPG you _have _to save the world!" Lloyd enthusiastically rocked in his chair, dreaming of such glory.

"Huh, funny you should say that," Genis began calmly, and then he started waving his arms around, "because it's nothing but a virtual experience! None of it's real! Why, the only thing you are saving is yourself from boredom, not the real world of Aselia!" Genis then chucked the controller into Lloyd's gut, causing the brunette to grimace and be unable to talk back. "You do know that exams are next week, right? That's right after this weekend! Only a week away! And here you are playing a virtual RPG shooter, to save the world!" Finally calming down, Genis shook his head with a disappointed sigh. "At this rate, you'll fail your exams."

Despite the honesty in his best friend's words, it hurt him to hear that, making Lloyd's defensive demeanor quickly fade to a stone-hard façade. "So," Lloyd nonchalantly pouted, "I've failed Professor Raine's class many times before. These final exams won't be any different." He tried to shoo the silverette aside, but the little elf was unrelenting.

"And that's the thing, you fail even _one _area of theexams and you'll be kicked out of the academy, never to be recruited again," Genis revealed somberly. "If that's what you've been setting yourself up for all this time, I really wonder why you even bothered applying with me and Colette in the first place."

Lloyd's arms stopped shooing Genis for a moment, and he became silent. He thought long and hard over Genis' final words before speaking in an unusual serious tone, "It's not like I _want _to be an idiot and fail." Lloyd paused while lowering his head, determined to search through his limited vocabulary for the appropriate words. "It's just… hard." His brown bush of a head soon bounced straight back up and his own booming voice with it. A new thought had came him. "A-and you! You're one to talk! You can't even get through Artes class without breaks in-between—not to mention your slow reflexes—and that's gonna be on the final exams in its own section! The Artes & Athletics Assessment!"

"I-I can too pass the AAA. And I do not have slow reflexes!" Genis barked, throwing his head hubristically towards the ceiling and crossing his arms.

"Oh yeah?"

"Ye—Mmph!" Genis cried, having been hit by one of Lloyd's gamer cushions.

"Minus ten points for not being aware!"

"Hey, I wasn't read—Gah!" Genis received another pillow to the face, and fell over.

"Minus twenty for being aware!"

"Would you—Ow! Stop that—OW!" Genis yelped, scurrying on his hands and knees for cover. As the pillow cushions continued to rain down upon him, Genis recovered, to pick himself off the carpet floor, and dived behind his own bed for shelter. When the sounds of pelting simmered down to a silence, Genis cautiously poked his head out, his vision just barely escaping the horizon of the bed sheets.

_BAM! _

"AHHH!" cried Genis, as the last pillow made contact right in-between his eyes.

"And minus thirty more for poor tactical ability to cloak yourself in combat, which means… Faaaaaail~" Lloyd mocked in song, and playfully sticking his tongue out. Spinning his game controller in his hands, Lloyd teased the fallen silverette further, "Hah, and you said me playing video games was bad for me!"

Rising from the ground yet again, Genis made sure this time he held his hands up in surrender, then he reluctantly admitted, "Okay, okay… So video games do help, but only athletically! You still need to raise your skill in the Standardized Examination of Core Classes, the SECC."

"And you with the AAA! If you can't pass that, you're out too," Lloyd reiterated, to remind him.

The dorm-room's lock clicked open at the moment the two troubled teens sighed in unison. In came the figure of Mithos Mortis, clothed in his Symphonia orchestral uniform, with regal red, purity white, and golden yellow school colors, and his instrument case underneath one arm. As he shut the door behind him, he initially began untying the knotted red bowtie at his neck and removing his hefty overcoat.

Expending a tired huff, Mithos said aloud, "Man, today's orchestra practice for the upcoming recital sure was brutal… I thought I was gonna blow my brains out into my pan-flute." He let loose an exasperated sigh, as he turned around and was about to instinctively chuck his instrument on top of his bed. But the blonde stopped in mid-heave, halted by the sight of his peers. "Huh? What's wrong with you two? Why the long faces," he glanced around the room, puzzled at the disarray, "and more importantly, what's up with the pillows scattered everywhere?"

They sighed together once more.

"He sucks at Standardized Tests and dares to only play video games, then chucks pillows at me when I tell him to stop," firstly explained Genis.

"And he sucks at Athletics and sits his lazy butt on his bed studying all day, so I threw my cushions at him, which all of them hit by the way," continued Lloyd, proudly emphasizing the end note.

"So…?" questioned Mithos, not comprehending what the problem really was.

"So, we're at an impasse. At this rate, Lloyd's going to fail the SECC and I'm going to fail the AAA, then we're both going to be kicked out of the academy," Genis decreed somberly.

"Then the solution to your problem is an easy one. You guys become each another's personal tutors!" intuitively announced Mithos with gusto.

"What?" cried Lloyd, astounded by the blonde's suggestion. "Are you being serious?"

Genis, however, appeared to be unchanged. He was logically reasoning in his thinking pose. "Hmm," the silverette pondered, "I did think of that possibility before, but knowing Lloyd and myself, it wouldn't work out. Last time we tried to tutor one another, it was back in Iselia: Lloyd wouldn't pay attention to a word I said, and whenever he tried to explain how to do certain artes, he wouldn't be able to articulate himself well enough."

"Well, you don't have to be an actual tutor. In fact, you can indirectly teach one another just by switching study ethics between the two of you, and that'll work better. So Lloyd can learn by reading and taking notes, while Genis enhances his reflexes through gaming. How's that?" Mithos kindly suggested.

"Me with a book?" Lloyd cringed and shivered at the thought. "Yuck."

"I don't know… I have a feeling this electronic stimulation will just rot my brain," Genis openly admitted, staring menacingly at the television screen.

"You guys have nothing to lose!" Mithos tried to encourage them. "I mean, you both suck one way or another, so you can't possibly get worse, am I right?" The blonde ended nonchalantly, only giving even more reason for Lloyd and Genis to whirl their death stares towards him. Mithos nervously laughed, "Eheh…" and then slinked away, whistling and acting preoccupied as he set his pan-flute away beneath his bed.

"Mithos has got a point…" Genis mentioned reluctantly.

"Hate to agree, but he does. If there was one thing Dirk told me to remember, it was," Lloyd lowered his voice tremendously and puffed up his chest, "_'Dwarven Vow #49: It is best to fail trying than succumbing to failure and not trying at all.'_"

Genis laughed at Lloyd's imitation. "Oh really? But what about _'Dwarven Vow #7: Justice and Love will always win'_?" Genis slyly teased.

"Ugh…" Lloyd groaned upon running into that one. "I hate that saying; don't remind me!"

"Ha ha! Some things never change," Genis laughed at his friend. When his laughter subsided, Genis rolled up his sleeves and gathered the courage to say, "Alright! Now hand me that controller. If playing video games can really enhance your reflexes, I could surely use it and a break from all that studying. Plus, it was bugging me for the past hour that you were shooting the boss at all the wrong places. You're suppose to aim for its eyes or the reactor in its chest!"

"Whoa, wait! Are you serious? Then, give me the controller back! That's the final boss before I beat the game," Lloyd begged for the controller, edging to finish what he started.

"Nope," Genis said flat out, as he smirked and shook his head, "you've got study materials now. So go learn! Maybe you'll get the skills to logically deduce an opponent's weakness on your own the next time you play a game instead of blindly attacking them."

"Hmph, fine," Lloyd grudgingly agreed to the terms, and took up the massive study guide on the bed, flipped it open, and began to read.

Meanwhile, as Genis turned the loud sounds of gunfire back on and Lloyd initiated the flipping of pages and scribbling, Mithos had risen from underneath his bed, having put away his instrument, and crawled into bed. The blonde wore an amused expression, as if he was expecting the spectacle before him. Prepared, he whipped out his earmuff headphones, plopping them snug on his elven ears, and plugged it into his MP3 player, allowing the soothing symphony of music block out the extraneous racket and lull him into a slumber.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Tuesday]**

_Ding-Ding! Ding-Ding! Ding-Ding!_

_Click!_ Mithos instinctively turned off his MP3's alarm. Groggily, the blonde, with shut eyes, sat up in bed, pulling away the sheet covers as he did so. He yawned, as wide as an Eggbear would, and stretched his arms up to the ceiling before his routinely face and eye rub to wake himself. Once he finished his morning ritual, Mithos smacked his lips and blinked open his eyes. As his blurry vision slowly became clear, his ocean-blue eyes grew wider and wider, in disbelief.

Genis, with a hung head and his bangs covering his eyes, was still playing Lloyd's video game. Though, it was evident how badly his energy had dropped; he was barely pressing buttons and the avatar on screen was standing idle, but gameplay was still in motion. As for Lloyd, he was equally as deathly looking. The brunette's face had fallen in-between the narrow crevice of the study booklet's binding, but, surprisingly enough, his hand was still mechanically taking notes on the pad next to him.

Genuinely curious and dumbfounded, Mithos took to his MP3, to check for the time.

"_It's already 6:40 in the morning, yet they're still studying?" _Mithos thought to himself, a sympathetic frown emerged from his lips. _"Guess I should wake them up…"_

"Hello? You guys?" Mithos gingerly spoke.

Neither teen responded or flinched at the call.

Taking a deep breath, Mithos bellowed in a strong tone, "Hey, you guys! Wake up, it's morning!"

"AHHHHH!" screamed the two sleep-studiers.

Lloyd bolted from his position, flinging his arms uncontrollably around, causing balls of rolled up scratch-paper to soar into the air and fall to the carpet, blanketing it like snow. A single page of his notes clung to Lloyd's face, however, causing him to be frenetic at 'how dark the room was.' Genis, on the other hand, had convulsed in Lloyd's gamer chair, and accidentally hit the 'extreme recline' button on the armrest. The chair, obeying the command, lurched the back support all the way backwards to the ground, and Genis flew back with it. Even more unfortunate, Genis had a forgotten energy drink that he didn't finish sitting in his lap, which ended up coming along with him too as he flew backwards, soaking him in the face and his disheveled silver-hair.

It took a good minute of Lloyd's nonsense yelling, from the 'darkness,' and Genis' gagging, from choking, and crying, from the sting of soda in his eyes, for them to calm themselves and regain order.

Lloyd reached for his face, his hands finally reaching the paper that blocked his vision. Peeling it off, Lloyd silently mouthed an, "Oh…" realizing his idiocy.

Genis coughed one last time to clear his throat, and used his sleeve to wipe away the soda from his eyes. "Gah…" Genis breathlessly managed to cry.

And Mithos, who had witnessed the entire scene and though hesitant, finally gained a voice to speak, breaking the silence, "So… You two learn anything?"

Still in his awkward position, with his lower body lying on the gamer seat and his upper torso hanging upside-down, Genis directed his question to Lloyd, softly grumbling, "You know what a 'red herring' is?"

"A… fish?" Lloyd replied unsurely.

"Wrong," Genis denied him outright, with no remorse.

And Lloyd, not even wanting to waste his breath, casually picked up one of Genis' bed pillows and hurled it to the ground at him.

"Mmph!" yelped Genis, as he was bombarded in the face for the umpteenth time, making Lloyd smirk in delight.

On the sidelines of the fight, Mithos shook his head, practically expecting this spectacle as well, and answered his previous question, "Guess not…"

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Since it was a Tuesday, both Lloyd and Genis had the morning Arithmetic 1 course with the 'lovable' Professor Forcystus. And Lloyd especially, having already gone through one traumatic experience from falling asleep in class, didn't want to pass out again. But that was a troublesome feat in his exhausted state. The drowsy brunette could barely keep his eyelids open, and the times he did keep them open, his vision would be so blurred that all the numbers and shapes on the blackboard would just blend into an undecipherable mathematical smoothie.

To his rescue, though, Genis, despite the enthusiastic student he was, didn't feel like learning either. He too was droned from the all-night studying. So, as to help each other, they would take shifts and keep an eye-out whenever Forcystus stopped writing on the board and turned around during his lectures or if he began to go on his lecture patrol towards one of them. If that happened, they'd stealthily warn with a slight cough or a screech caused by the dragging of their chair on the floor. Apparently, that was enough for either of them to evade the 'all-knowing' eye of Forcystus and detention on the weekend, because just as the tag-team duo was both about to black out and call it quits, the end of class bell rang loudly, and students got up from their seats and filed out of class pronto.

Groggy and half-asleep, Lloyd and Genis miraculously got their butts out of Forcystus' classroom and into the Symphonia Academy Cafeteria located a few buildings down. There, they didn't bother to purchase any lunch, but instead, the two, with half-lidded eyes, uncoordinatedly fished out of their uniform pockets some spare gald to insert in one of the vending machines. Though, looking like idiots for missing the coin slot so many times, they finally got their canned caffeine and, like zombies, dragged their feet over to the usual table, where the entire gang awaited their arrival.

Immediately after sitting down in their respective seats, Lloyd and Genis both silently, yet oddly in sync, took their cold can of caffeine; lifted the tab and opened it, letting the fizzing sound erupt then dissipate; and took a single swig. Just as they finished and smacked their lips, their tired heads crashed facedown onto the lunch table, as if they had finally reached their limit.

The rest of the gang, utterly befuddled by their friends, exchanged looks of wonder amongst one another.

"Geez, what got into Bud and the Brat? They look… dead," Zelos pondered with scrutiny, and was tempted to poke the two teens with his fork to see if they were still alive.

"No kidding, they look exactly like the zombie skeletons we saw at the Horror House!" Sheena laughed at the resemblance.

"Well, it's no wonder," Mithos chimed in informatively, "they both were so committed to studying for exams next week that they stayed up all-night."

"Really? That's a surprise, especially for Lloyd! He rarely studies, but when he does, it's hard to keep him dedicated. So good for him!" Colette praised, beaming a proud smile towards the brunette, even though he was passed out.

"What's even more of a surprise is that they've lasted this long with the amount of energy they had," Mithos added grimly. "I even doubted for a bit that I could wake them up this morning from their sleep-studying."

"So that's where Lloyd was last night…" Zelos thought to himself, and then he carelessly shrugged, getting back to his meal. "No wonder it was so peaceful at my place; no video-gaming to disturb my beauty-sleep!"

"Is there a reason for them to be sacrificing sleep for study? At the rate of their work ethic, their studies will end up being more detrimental to them than beneficial," Presea crucially pointed out.

"To be honest," Mithos started meekly, recalling the night before, "their studies didn't seem to be helping them to begin with. In fact, I don't think that either of them got any better. Maybe even a little worse, actually." The blonde boy sighed, as his attention drifted to the two knocked-out. He shook his head. "It's a shame to see them waste so much time and energy trying to improve their scores in the SECC and the AAA, only to end up getting nowhere."

"They're having trouble studying? I told Lloyd before that if he needed help with his classes that I would help," Colette said, in a sad tone.

Mithos tried to explain, "It's nothing personal, Colette, but I think these two need more than just help. I'm afraid they need a professional or at least a legitimate tutor. When it comes to athletics, Genis is a sad sloth; and when it comes to academics, Lloyd's the one dumb as a rock."

"If all things athletics is what needs improving, I'm the girl to go to," Sheena considerately offered. "I'm only on the women's pespila team this year, but last year I was a member of all the women's sports clubs. It was a requirement to keep me fit for my duties as a ninja. So I know the ins and outs of the AAA exam easy!"

"And I with academics! Believe it or not, I have my fair share of knowledge when it comes to Science, Math, Reading, and Writing. I'm at the top of my class, even!" Zelos boasted haughtily.

"Seriously?" Mithos rose an eye-brow, skeptical. "But what about those rumors of your 'hunnies' doing your work for you, like taking notes?"

"Sadly for me, I can vouch for him there," Sheena said, ashamed of herself. "My first year here, I had to be tutored by him, since my grades were pretty low by the end of the first trimester of classes. And, just like you are now, I was surprised at how educated he was myself. Despite Zelos' fan-girls constantly doing chores for him, he is actually an intelligent guy if you get to know him."

"See? What did I tell ya? I'm not only beautiful, but smart as well!" Zelos sang cockily, breaking out a signature suave grin and wink as he did so.

"I guess it's settled then… Zelos will tutor Lloyd, and Sheena will tutor Genis!" Mithos decreed.

As if saved from the depths of purgatory with a Resurrection spell, both Lloyd and Genis bolted straight up from their naps, exclaiming in horror, "WHAT?"

"Did you say that I would be tutored… by him?" Lloyd incredulously thundered, his finger pointing disapprovingly at the red-head across the table.

As if siding with the brunette, Zelos threw his hands up and disapprovingly shook his head, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down there, Blondie. I never said I would help you underclassmen. I'm busy as it is with my own Chosen affairs, and affairs with women while I'm at it." Zelos smirked to himself, while everyone silently wore disgusted faces. He then continued, "But that's beside the point. And even if I wasn't busy, what's in it for me if I do help Idiot Irving?"

"You see," Mithos began, his hand shifting through his pants' pockets, "I believe _this_ would rationalize the terms." When he had said this, the blonde retrieved from his pants his cell phone. Mithos, flipping it open, clicked open a certain file before turning the screen to face Zelos, along with the rest of the gang, and begun playing a fairly recent memory over again.

"_You guys, I've learned my lesson! Really! So please, could you come back and help poor Zelos when he's down?"_

"_Guys…?"_

"_GUYS?"_

The video clip that Mithos played on his cell was the gang's favorite moment from the Horror House Initiation. It showed Zelos' paralyzed body sprawled helplessly across the flat cemented roof, and he was down right pathetic in appearance. His face was contorted from screaming for help, his baggy eyes shot-red from crying, and his once elegant, wavy crimson locks were outrageously out of whack from the static shock bullet he had taken from the Sword Dancer, making his hair look like a bright-red fireball tumbleweed atop his head. Heck, if the Symphonia gang was on Earth, you yourself might mistaken Zelos for a strange, make-up-less Ronald McDonald.

Everyone at the table exploded into laughter from the sight of the abandoned Zelos. Even the usually taciturn Presea uncharacteristically chuckled uncontrollably, though she did try to hide it with a hand over her mouth. The gang's combined laughter began to attract much unnecessary attention, and academy students started to stop in their tracks around the group's table, food trays still in hand, trying to sneak a glimpse of what was so funny.

However, Zelos didn't find it funny in the slightest. And before anyone else could join in on his humiliation, he swiftly reached out and shut Mithos' cell phone, causing the peers around him to groan in disappointment, "Awww…"'

"Now get out of here! There's nothing to see!" Zelos ordered, shooing the crowd that was forming around them with his hands. Once the crowd dispersed, Zelos turned back to Mithos and softly spoke disgustedly, "Fine, you win this time, Blondie. I'll tutor Lloyd this trimester, but after that, that's it." The red-haired let his hand rustle through his hair, as he sighed, "First you underclass twist the rules against me, and now it's blackmail. Either I'm starting a trend, which is impressive, or I'm just losing it and people are outdoing me."

"Glad to hear it," Mithos grinned politely, inwardly satisfied by the turn of events.

"Uh-uh! No way is Zelos tutoring me!" Lloyd interjected loudly, and crossing his arms.

"Lloyd, I hate to break it to you, but," Mithos frankly answered, "he's experienced and has the skills to teach you so you can pass the exams. I'm afraid he's your only hope."

"Hah! Sucks for you, Lloyd!" Genis mocked, slapping his knee in jest, which Lloyd sneered his way for.

"Ah, and Presea!" Sheena said, then directed herself to the petite transferee. "I could use your assistance, in training Genis. I've seen how well you perform in Artes class, and those skills can really help improve the training process."

"Of course, I will do my best," Presea nodded.

"WHAT?" Genis whirled his head to Presea. He looked utterly shaken by the recent exchange. "B-b-but! I-it's okay! You don't have to help, Presea, r-really," Genis, through stammers, tried to convince her.

"It is not a problem, Genis. Truly, my aid will help in the long run, since I can spot you when Sheena is coaching and offering you advice, as well as be your sparring partner due to being roughly the same size as you," Presea insisted.

"Spa-Spa… Sparring partner?" Genis, flabbergasted, repeated. His mind soon trailed to the thought, and his cheeks went crimson in embarrassment. _"Not only is she going to be watching my every mistake… but I'm going to have to spar with her at one point?" _Genis gulped, his entire being soaked with nervousness.

"Pfft-hah!" Lloyd chortled. "You're gonna get beaten up by a girl, Genis! Ha ha! Have fun with that!"

This time, Genis sent an unamused stare at Lloyd.

"All right, since there's no more problems! It's official. Your tutoring starts tomorrow after a good-night's rest. Everyone, do your best! I'll be rooting for you all!" Colette announced enthusiastically, with a bright smile stretched across her lips while she bounced up and down in her seat.

* * *

**Author's Note Time!**

Time to get the ball rolling again with the old gang! Haha.

In a way, it's awesome to be back, even if it's just for now before I disappear again. To be perfectly honest in regards to my absence, life has been treating me kindly. For one, I've gotten back to my old hobbies of playing video games. Finished Mass Effect 3 and I'm currently engrossed in Tales of Graces f! So I've totally been sucked into those worlds. Not to mention that I got accepted into the college I wanted to go to, so I've been preparing myself in these last months of high school for that transition too. In all, I feel like I've grown up and apart from fanfiction a bit, but at the same time, I really do enjoy writing and seeing so many people that are overjoyed from reading my stories. I can't thank you guys enough for that. So whether I disappear from time to time or keep going strong from here on out, it has always been and always will be a pleasure being on fanfiction with you all!

**Fun Fact of the Chapter:** (SPOILERS FOR THE MASS EFFECT SERIES!) The scene of Lloyd playing that video game is based off of my experience playing Mass Effect 2. I am unashamed of being obsessed with the Mass Effect series, no doubt! Haha.

**Preview:**

Next time on Symphonia School Days...

Forced to be tutored by their respective senpais, Lloyd and Genis hit the ground running. Will they be able to learn from their masters? Will they conquer their exams? Or will they both break and get tickets to the fail train home?

Find out in the next chapter, _'It's Time to Hit the Books & the Gym'_!

See you all next time!


	12. It's Time to Hit the Books & the Gym

Yay for letting months pass before updating like always. Woo... By now, I'd like to think you all would be used to this by now. But I am unsure since I think a majority of my audience is on/off readers due to my awful updating. Gah, I will never shake the habit. Sorry. Like my previous closing author's note said, I will disappear and come back. It just pains me to keep doing this. I have an important message to my SSD readers by the end of this chapter. So to you hardcore fans of this story, I please ask you to take the time to see that.

Anyways, the first half or so of this chapter has been collecting dust on my PC for maybe four or so months now, and I just now pick it back up. Man. The self-disappointment is really hitting me now. So yeah, the first half will be probably oodles better than the last, since, at this point, I just want to get it done. So critique as you must. Just felt like getting that out there.

**Kudos Corner:** Many thanks to** Crimsonkat, Smarty Natsan, I'm Sexy, Canada Cowboy, Moonlight M3lody,** and **tiger002** for reviewing the last chapter! Appreciate it you guys. :D

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Tales of Symphonia or its characters.

* * *

_**Ch. 10: It's Time to Hit the Books & the Gym!**_

* * *

**[Wednesday]**

The following day, just as Colette declared, Lloyd and Genis' professional tutoring for the exams finally began. Both teens were unwilling to participate at first, but neither of them had a choice in the matter, because neither wanted to deny Colette or let her down. Seeing Colette's sad, crying face after hearing that they wouldn't do it, that would have been worse than where they found themselves now. Especially for Lloyd, since he had a morning class with Colette in Ancient Angelic as well as Composition and Public Speaking; he had to put on an enthusiastic face for her whenever she mentioned the tutoring sessions. And like always, Colette wore her cheerful smile and encouraged him further to do his utmost best. But by the time Composition and Public Speaking class ended and Lloyd and Colette had parted ways, Lloyd was already fed up with tutoring, even if it was only the thought of it. More specifically, the part where he had to be tutored by the 'Great' Zelos Wilder.

"Good afternoon, Bud!" the red-haired Chosen called after him, signaling Lloyd to come over with a wave of a hand. He was sitting cross-legged in his seat, sipping a bit of tea here and there. Zelos had also finished attending a class that morning and, as decided the day before, met up early at their tutoring location at the Symphonia Academy Park.

Their meeting place was a nice open spot near the center of the park. A simple metal circular table with four tall chairs surrounding it, sort of like a tea or coffee table set would look like in a shop. It sat on top of a charmingly perched hill, overlooking a majority of the lusciously green acres, with all of its careening cobblestone pathways, the cherry-blossom treetops, and one of the most famous attractions in the city of Symphonia, the marble fountain of the Goddess Martel. She was the woman who had made Symphonia City possible to begin with, for Martel had helped give life to the Giant Kharlan Tree. The hallowed statue of her standing atop the podium with her earthen, oak staff was considered the most sacred artifact on the academy's grounds, so, accordingly, many students take their time off to visit it on occasion, as a way of respect and to gather with fellow classmates. Some even call it the Student Social Spring because of its popularity.

Unfortunately, Lloyd didn't have the honors to admire the fountain of Martel, but instead, rallied himself up the hill and, when he got to the table, took the seat across from Zelos. In an unenthusiastic voice, Lloyd said, "Let's get this over with. It's bad enough that I got stuck with you, but add studying on top of that, and that's hell."

"Ouch," Zelos winced, hurt from the comment. But he easily shrugged it off, saying, "I'm not happy I got blackmailed to help a pathetic, practically failing freshmen either, but I'm stuck here, whether I like it or not." The elder took a sip of his tea cup one last time. "I'm impressed though. Getting stuck with me, then add learning in to equal hell. My, my, my! Someone's eager to jump into math."

Lloyd didn't budge at all at the joke, only blinking back disinterestedly.

"But bad news for you is that we won't be tackling math just yet, because today is science day!" Zelos revealed.

"Okay, so how are you going to teach me science?" Lloyd asked. The brunette crossed his arms. "You don't even have a book on you, or even a pen."

"If there's one thing you need to know about my teaching style, Lloyd, is that I don't teach the conventional way. With me as your tutor, you'll learn the Ways of Zelos and find your eyes open to a whole other world. And all you need to do is follow my league," Zelos said, wearing a smug grin and pompously flipping up the collar of his uniform. From within his uniform, concealed in a secret jacket pocket, Zelos pulled out two pairs of shades and offered one to Lloyd. "Take it."

Lloyd stared cluelessly at Zelos' outstretched hand, questioning, "Shades? But why?"

"The sun might get into your eyes," Zelos said, putting on his own pair of black shades.

"But we're underneath a tree," Lloyd clarified, pointing at the tree trunk beside them. "How can we get blinded when we're in the shade and—?"

"Oh, just put on the shades! Do you want to learn the Ways of Zelos and pass your exams, or not?" Zelos impatiently interrupted.

"_Not really…" _Lloyd inwardly thought. But, despite his record, Lloyd was smart enough to sigh, grudgingly shut up and dawn the shades his was given.

"Good," Zelos commended, as he looked over the vast Symphonia Academy Park. Spotting something, Zelos gestured to Lloyd with a slight tip up of the head, "There, you see that over there?"

Through his shades, Lloyd squinted his hazel eyes the best he could to pin-point what Zelos was referring to. But alas, Lloyd couldn't find it, continuing to scan the grassy fields left and right for anything out of the ordinary. "See what? All I see is a group of girls from the academy standing next to the fountain of Martel, and they're blocking my view. I can't see what's behind them." Lloyd was so concentrated to look past the academy girls that he began rocking in his seat, and his tongue protruded from his mouth.

Smacking Lloyd across the back of his head, Zelos quipped, "You idiot! I'm not talking about what's behind the girls. What I'm talking about _is_ the girls! Man, are you dense." The upperclassman shook his head. "And would you stop moving around in your chair like that, and stop sticking your tongue out! You're attracting people's attention."

"Wait, what?" Lloyd spewed, almost falling out of his seat. "A-are you telling me, w-we're being… peeping toms?" The brunette's hazel eyes were wide in shock, one eye twitching.

"Shhhh! We are not peeping toms. We are… body biologists," Zelos slyly mentioned.

"Body biologists?" Lloyd repeated, still unable to comprehend.

"You see, what we're doing is not what you think. What we're doing is actually judging the genetic compatibility of ourselves with other women to get the best genetic outcome. And to get the best genetic outcome, you have to pick the most compatible partner. You know, science," Zelos stated sophisticatedly.

Lloyd fell for the bait. "Ooohh, I get it."

Zelos, spotting a certain person out of the corner of his eye, immediately signaled Lloyd to look over, too. "Over there, you see that academy girl wearing the gold and red flats for shoes, knee-high checkered stockings, and a frilly amber colored scarf around her neck?"

Lloyd nodded.

"Well, she would be a terrible match for you."

"Why? How come?" Lloyd asked, genuinely curious.

"She just is. I mean, look at her. Her chin is too broad and face is too round, which would clash with your manly rectangular face and triangular chin. She also has those small, weirdly colored violet eyes, and that would look terrible on a kid with brown hair, like yourself!" Zelos countered brashly.

"Huh, I guess you're right! A kid with brown hair and purple eyes would look funky. And she does have pretty stubby legs," Lloyd admitted.

"Ha ha! There you go, you're getting it now," Zelos proudly complimented. "Now, how about that other girl beside her, the one with an umbrella covering her face."

"Hmm," Lloyd hummed to himself in thought.

_"It's a harmless act," _he started to believe. His eyes, hidden behind such dark shades, were no longer shy to scrutinize the young women. _"If they don't find out, then it isn't bad. Just gotta think of it like if I was peeking at Genis' paper during a test back at school in Iselia. Yeah!"_

Confident, Lloyd let his thoughts flow freely from his lips, while his eyes took in the sight of the unknown specimen, "She's petite, not entirely curvy. More on the ironing board side." His voice dropped to an unusual tender tone, and his lips curved upward happily. "Glowing golden-blonde hair flying in the wind… And that smile… Blindingly innocent and warm. The way she walks, she has that energetic spring in her step. Bubbly, but yet, somewhat off-balance. Klutzy, maybe? Like…" He drifted off, his mouth dropping.

The winds, unannounced, picked up speed. They vehemently whistled, wanting to take the mysterious blonde girl's umbrella. The blonde girl tripped in mid-step, as she tried as she could to beat the winds in tug-of-war for her umbrella. But she could not, and her arms let out. Her face planted straight onto the cobblestone pavement, as her hands fell before her to lessen the impact. Dazed and embarrassed, the girl soon picked herself off the ground and dusted her skirt off before apologetically bowing to the audience of students forming around her. At that point, Lloyd didn't need anymore to know who the umbrella girl was like.

"Colette!" he yelled and waved his arms excitedly, to get her attention, which it did and she glanced behind her to see the brunette beaming down at her. Colette, almost by instinct, smiled at the sight of him.

"Colette, huh? … What a terrible match," Zelos said flatly.

"What?" Lloyd uttered, whipping his head to face Zelos.

"You and Colette together. That's a bad match," Zelos reiterated.

"Whoa! W-we're just childhood friends. I-I can't think of us as… more than that," Lloyd quietly replied, head down and hiding the blush creeping onto his cheeks. "_Then what's with me being embarrassed? This is something Genis would do, not me!" _The brunette shook his head violently to rid himself of these foreign thoughts and feelings until they subsided.

"Good, because you really never stood a chance," he heard Zelos say.

Immediately stopping his head, Lloyd sprung up. Before he could even register what he was saying, Lloyd angrily retorted on impulse, "What, why?"

"Sorry, Bud, but that's a whole 'nother lesson for a whole 'nother day. We'll leave math for tomorrow, m'kay?" Zelos asked, his question more of a command. The red-haired got out of his seat and left Lloyd alone at the table, and Lloyd fueled with confusion and rage could only watch as Zelos strolled away and picked up an object that had just fallen back down to the earth. It was the umbrella.

Lloyd didn't know why he felt so angry. He thought he'd be relieved, joyous even that Zelos' tutoring session ended for today. But something about seeing Zelos give back the umbrella to Colette in the most gentlemanly manner, and she giving him her most sincere, grateful smile. That, that pissed him off.

~ S.S.D. ~

Nerves. Nerves riddled Genis Sage to the bone. And no matter what he tried to do, he couldn't shake the feeling of anxiety that had gladly made its new home in him. Even his mind was in such a disarray, that his pacing the P.E. field was like a hamster on coffee. Poor elf couldn't stay still for his life. Despite having just finished the Defensive and Offensive Artes class earlier in the day, Genis—still wearing his P.E. clothes—had bounds of energy locked up within him to zig-zag left and right, left and right, thinking over and over again in his mind how horrifying the experience of being tutored by Sheena and Presea will be. But he couldn't think for long, because a loud noise sounded off behind him.

_BANG!_

"AHHH!" Genis reactively jumped into the air. By the time he touched the ground again, he spun on his heel surprised to see his tutors' gift to him.

"Hope you haven't been '_weighting'_ long, Genis!" Sheena, dressed in a befitting track suit, energetically bellowed.

Before him on the dirt track was the most colossal looking metal barbell in his life.

"Ha-ha… Good one, Sheena-senpai," Genis lied, with a forced smile.

"Are the weights secured, Presea?" Sheena asked the pink haired bent over the weight, tinkering with the locking mechanism.

"Locked and ready," Presea, also clothed in exercising apparel, stood up and nodded.

"Great! You ready for the first workout then, Genis?" Sheena asked.

"Umm… S-sure," Genis hesitantly replied. "_What else can I say? 'No, I'm just going to leave now?' Heh… I wish."_ The silverette then tried to gulp down his fears, as Sheena prepped him for the endeavor to come.

"Today, I wanted to start with something pretty elementary to get you going on the right path, and that's weight lifting training! As you can see, the weight before you is a loaded barbell, and it's outfitted with the standard weight of 100 pounds for males in the AAA. The lifts that you will be doing are called deadlifts, which will increase your strength overall, from gripping with your hands to the muscles in your legs. In doing so, it will give you upper body strength as well as teach you proper form and technique, a necessity when committing to using various artes, offensive and defensive," Sheena briefed Genis in an official manner. "Presea, the chalk please?"

"Yes," Presea answered. The pink-haired promptly retrieved out of the sports bag that was hanging around her shoulder a plastic box filled with a white powdery substance. She pried open the lid and presented the contents in front of Genis.

"The chalk will help you grip the bar better, so coat your hands well with it before we start," Sheena said.

After doing what he was told, Genis patted his hands together to remove the excess chalk, while Presea put away the box of chalk. "Finished," the silverette announced, fully prepped and standing before the barbell.

"Good, now the hard work really starts," Sheena said, anticipation tickling her throat. "What I want you to do is a single deadlift for me, to show me what I'm working with. So whenever you're ready…" The raven-haired cued Genis to take it away.

"O-okay…" Genis muttered, staring nervously down at the massive weight by his feet. Sweat was accumulating on his forehead, and he watched as a single bead trickled down from the middle of his head to the tip of his nose, until the sweat-drop fell right on the metal barbell. He prayed silently to himself that wouldn't be the case for his hands anytime soon, getting sweaty that is. Gulping down hard and ignoring the sound of his beating heart, Genis psyched himself up, _"Well, h-here it goes…"_

Pathetically, Genis didn't get the opportunity to lift weight off the ground, because by the time he bent down and gripped the bar, Sheena instantly cried out in disapproval, "No, no! Not like that, Genis! You don't grip the bar underhanded; you're suppose to use the overhanded approach. Presea, could you please help him?"

"I'm on it," Presea said, walking over to the barbell and Genis and kneeling in front of them. With Genis still bent over, he intently watched Presea take his hands into her own and remove his hands off the bar, readjusting them to grasp the bar palm side down, the proper overhand technique. "There, and whatever you do, keep your hands tightly around the bar. Understood?" Her blank cobalt eyes drifted to stare into his.

"U-uh, y-y-yeah!" Genis said, embarrassed. He could feel a lukewarm heat fester in his now rosy cheeks. He knew without a doubt he was blushing, and so he whipped his head down to the bar, as if he was getting ready to lift. When he looked down though, he saw Presea's hands still holding his tightly, yet reassuringly. And he blushed further when she squeezed even tighter, believing it was an unspoken 'good luck' to him, before she let go and stepped to the side.

"Alright, time to try again, Genis!" Sheena instructed.

"R-right!" the silverette uttered, still crouched over the barbell. "_Oh, man, oh man!" _Genis gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. _"If I wasn't prepared before, I'm definitely not ready now… My heart's beating so fast, a-and I can feel the __chalk wearing off already. If my palms get sweaty, I'm gonna be so screwed!"_ He huffed one final sigh until he was fully committed and he opened his eyes. _"It's either I embarrass myself trying or embarrass myself for not trying. So just do it, Sage!"_

Gripping the bar as tightly as an alligator biting down on its prey, Genis clenched his teeth and heaved the bar up with as much might that he could possibly muster, roaring a strained, "HAAAHHH!"

"Good, good job, Genis!" Sheena praised from the sidelines. "You've managed to get the barbell up to your chest. But don't give up, you're almost there to lifting it above your head. What you need to do now is shift your feet into a stable stance that will help you achieve the right lift!"

"W-what?" Genis cried, struggling with maintaining the weight at his chest. The power from the initial rocket start that got him there left him winded and out of energy to continue pushing the weight up any higher, and his legs were starting to feel wobbly from holding the heavy weight for too long.

"Do the bear stance," Presea said, assuming a firm pose, with her feet shoulder-width apart and her knees bent. "All you need to do is shift your feet a little further apart from one another and bend your knees. Then, lift."

Unable to respond, Genis barely nodded back. _"Okay… So first, I move my feet _—_"_

"Whoaaaaa!"

_CRASH!_

Having taken a wrong step, Genis ended up accidentally slipping and he fell backwards. The barbell and all its weight, still in his grasp, came crashing down upon him, pinning him brutally onto the dirt track. Wincing in pain, the uncoordinated elf groaned, "Ughhh…"

Without having to be told, Presea immediately rushed by his side to lift the barbell and tend to him.

"Oh boy… We've got a _long_ way to go," Sheena shook her head and sighed to herself.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Thursday]**

"Afternoon, Bud!" Zelos happily greeted the brunette patiently waiting at their usual meeting spot in the park. Sitting down, the red-head continued, "Someone's early today! You ready for math today?"

Lloyd didn't speak a word. The brunette stayed staring off into space, mesmerized by the fountain of Martel below at the foot of the hill. He couldn't stop thinking about yesterday's events, and more importantly what Zelos meant by him and Colette being a 'bad match.' "Hmmm," Lloyd hummed to himself while he pondered. His thoughtful stare stiffened into one of perplexity and ferocity.

"Hello, Lloyd? You there?" Zelos said, waving a hand in front of Lloyd's face. Receiving nothing but a blank stare, Zelos snapped his fingers. "Hey, you listening to me—?"

"Tell me!" Lloyd abruptly interrupted, slamming his hands onto the park table.

Flinching backwards in surprise, Zelos stammered, "T-tell you what?"

"Tell me what you meant by a 'bad match'!"

"Oh, that? Why would you care to know? Didn't you already say that you and Colette were childhood friends, nothing more?" Zelos said connivingly.

"Yeah, but… I…" Lloyd struggled with a tied tongue, his eyes falling down to the table. He then admitted stubbornly, "I-I don't know, I just want to know!"

Zelos realizing that Lloyd couldn't be swayed, sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll tell you, but only because it actually fits with today's lesson. A prime division of the SECC in the math portion will be statistics, and the way I plan to teach you that is through spelling out your chances with all the girls we saw yesterday. And since you so stubbornly want to know about you and Colette first, I'll tell you the truth why it can't happen." Zelos took a slight pause, waiting to see if Lloyd would recant. Instead, he saw him even more attentive, and so he proceeded on with the lesson. "Sure you two are close childhood friends, but that doesn't mean much in the big world, where you're swimming with all these different types of fishes in the sea. Colette's a unique girl; she's innocent, kind, compassionate, and oh so adorable! She has this aura that bring others hope and makes people gravitate toward her. And it's only a matter of time until she is fully acknowledged by the academy, then her future becomes truly bright! By then, every male in the city will be vying for her affection, leaving you in the dust. I mean, look at you," Zelos pointed at Lloyd, examining him over, "you're not ambitious, dim-witted, and plain in comparison to everyone else at this academy. Heck, even the little Brat has more redeeming qualities than you, and that's saying something."

Lloyd was hushed, stunned at the revelation. _"Am I really nothing compared to Colette and Genis…?"_ A shadow of melancholy shrouded across his face.

Seeing him so down, Zelos felt a pang of sadness for Lloyd. "Now, now," Zelos said, patting the young freshman on the back, "it's not the end of the world. There are other girls that you have a better chance with."

"Really," Lloyd perked up a little, feeling hopeful, "like who?"

"Huh, let's see here," Zelos pondered. His mind flipping through all the girls he knew. "Ah, I know! How about that first really weird looking girl with purple eyes and stubby legs we saw yesterday?"

"What, her?" Lloyd shouted in disagreement. "But you said she'd be a terrible biological partner for me!"

"True, true~ But I never said that you wouldn't have a _chance_ with her, now did I?" Zelos teased coyly.

"Ugh, forget that I asked…" Lloyd groaned and smacked his own forehead in shame.

~ S.S.D. ~

"Run faster, Genis, faster! You won't be able to make the ten minute mile time if you keep running at that pace. Pick up those legs and stop dragging those feet. Move, move, move!" Sheena instructed from the center of the P.E. field.

Upon failing miserably with the barbell weight yesterday, Sheena introduced him to a different training routine, the mile run obviously. She said it would help him boost his cardio, which would heighten his endurance, allowing him to perform artes for longer periods at a time. Yet, that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon, because like yesterday, Genis was having an abysmal start. He would need to have to run around the track at least four times until he ran a full mile straight. On top of that, he would need to run it in ten minutes flat. Although having already ran two laps around the track, he was half way done, but his whole body was tired. His arms and thighs were throbbing from weight lifting the other day, and his head was starting to feel real heavy from dehydration and overexertion in the noon sunlight. Eight minutes and a half minutes into his third lap, Genis collapsed into the dirt track, exhausted.

Defeated, Genis didn't move from his spot, even when Coach Sheena viciously yelled from across the field. But he didn't care, nor did he care that he was resting in his own P.E. uniform drenched in sweat. As long as he didn't have to move a muscle, Genis could care less. _"I-I'm so bushed…" _he thought, feeling the ache in his muscles every time blood pulsed through. _"Augh… How embarrassing. First the weight training flop, now this! Faced down in the dirt, unable to move… M-maybe I should just quit while I'm ahead?"_

"Don't give up," he heard a familiar voice say.

"Huh?" Genis whispered to himself. He was barely able to lift his head to see the person standing before him. Conveniently, she stood in front of the blinding sun, giving him much appreciated shade. He blinked noticing who it was. "P-Presea?"

"Don't give up," she repeated, then considerately she handed out to him a chilled bottle filled with water. "Drink this. You need to be well hydrated while running."

"Mm," Genis nodded. He gingerly picked himself off the ground and gratefully took the bottle of water. Uncapping it, Genis greedily chugged every droplet of water inside the bottle. When he emptied it, he gasped out relieved, "Ahhh! T-thanks, Presea! I really needed that." He rubbed the back of his head shyly, as she took back the bottle.

"Are you feeling better to run again?" Presea asked.

"Y-yeah!" Genis eagerly replied, beaming a confident smile now. "I-if it wasn't for you, Presea, I'd still be faced down on the ground right now. M-m-my body feels rejuvenated even, l-like there's this strange power boiling up inside me!"

Presea cocked her head to the side. "Are you sure? Because your face is unnaturally pale."

"D-don't worry, I'm fi–BLAGGGGGGGH!"

The strange power boiling up inside Genis? Well, that was his lunch he had earlier, and it was coming out from the depths of his stomach to say hello to both him and Presea… A _strange_ power, indeed.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Friday]**

"Okay, Bud! We're halfway through the Ways of Zelos. You feeling confident?" Zelos asked, sitting in his usual seat.

Lloyd, who sat across from him, shook his head and honestly spoke, "Nope, not really."

"Well, not to worry, because Friday will be a fun day! We'll be learning about Reading today."

"Let me guess… With no books, huh?" Lloyd inferred.

"Exactly, Bud! In order to build your comprehension skills, you'll be joining me on analyzing an array of girls, and the more diverse they are, the better. What we're gonna do is try to reach each individual girl's emotions, try to know their intentions, be able to infer what their thoughts are–that kind of jazz," Zelos explained.

"Alright, I think I get it. So who or which girl are we going to read first?"

Before Zelos could select a girl by the fountain, a blood curling howl echoed into the sky, "ZELOSSSSSS!" Storming up from the bottom of the hill was a second year student, evident by the crest on the collar of her uniform. Her hair was the same crimson hue as Zelos', and her eyes were the same ocean blue as his. Atop her head was a distinguished orange colored beret, garnished with a fancy golden brooch clipped onto it.

"Ah, there's our first specimen," Zelos decreed nonchalantly, not taken back in the slightest by the girl. Swiftly, Zelos got to work. "You see, Lloyd, what we've got here is a girl who's extremely mad, which you can tell from her narrowed eyebrows, clenched teeth, and flushed cheeks. Her posture, with those raised shoulders, screams 'I'm going to kill you,' and her thoughts are lingering on about the object that she's holding in her hands."

"You know all that from just looking at her?" Lloyd wondered aloud, impressed with the precision that Zelos articulated.

"Of course. If you don't believe me just watch…" Zelos insisted. He raised his fingers in countdown. "In three… two… one—"

"ZELOS! I AM SO MAD!" The red-haired girl made it up the hill and scurried over to their table. Fuming, she flailed her arms by her side. "Look what you did to my precious bow string of my violin! It's broken! That bow was a special antique from mother, and those strings are from the hairs of a unicorn! You know how rare those are! How could you do this to me? ZELOS!"

"We'll be taking a short break for now, Lloyd. If you will excuse me…" Zelos trailed off, getting up from his seat. He then acknowledged the complaining girl. "Now, now, Seles. There's no need to be angry."

"Oh, yes there is! You borrowed this without my permission, and to do what? Pull pranks on the underclassmen?" Seles gave a wild guess.

"Uh… Yeah?" Zelos answered hesitantly, but, surprising to Lloyd, honestly. Lloyd gave him credit there for his chivalry in the face of death.

"Ugh… ZELOS, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" was the last thing Seles screamed before she chased after her older brother down the hill and around the Symphonia Park.

Alone, Lloyd thought over the events that transpired, _"Wow… Turns out, Zelos was right about everything! Huh, who would have thought?"_

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"So lifting weights and the mile run weren't your strong suit. That's okay, because today will be the reaction training test! We'll be testing how fast you are to act and how well you can defend yourself, which is why I've chosen the perfect sport, tennis!" Sheena announced from across the court. Spinning the racket in her hands like a pro, she grabbed a yellow tennis ball from her pockets and effortlessly bounced the ball atop the racket's weaving. "Now, these tennis balls are official regulation, so don't be surprised if it stings when you get hit."

"When I g-get hit?" Genis stammered on the other side of the net, holding his racket awkwardly and unsurely like a novice. He couldn't decide whether it was best to choke up on the racket's neck or hold it precariously at then end of the handle. The former provided him more control and power but with little reach, while the latter gave him the opposite, reach but no power. Genis ending up settling one hand at each point.

"Yes, of course! We will be tossing these balls at you and we will be trying to score points, whether it be from you being unable to rally the ball back to us or you getting hit with a ball," Sheena explained.

"W-w-we?" Genis croaked nervous, a sapphire eye-twitching.

"Yeah, both me and Presea will be going against you today, to keep you on your toes! Are you ready, Presea?"

"Ready," Presea nodded. She too conjured a tennis ball and readied herself to serve.

"Okay! Then let the match… BEGIN!" Sheena declared, giving Genis no time to devise a plan and the yellow balls of fury began to fly.

_SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!_ sounded off across the court every time Sheena or Presea served a ball over the net. Each one whizzed like a bolt of lighting, cutting through the air in the blink of an eye. Genis, unprepared for the bombardment, shamelessly was sprinting back and forth on his side of the court, doing his best to avoid getting hit by the flying yellow bullets. He had long forgotten about proper racket holding etiquette, favoring being spared of a brutal ball beating. If it wasn't for the fact that the racket was actually deflecting some of the balls aimed at him—albeit, blocking accidentally—Genis would've already chucked the racket on the court so he could dash about more freely without the extra weight in his hands.

"Not," Sheena tossed a ball up into the air and swiped at it with her racket face, "bad, Genis! You've got the dodging part down, but how about you stop us from getting so many points on you?"

"Aahhh!" yelped Genis, narrowly avoiding the ball Sheena served his way. He laughed nervously at the suggestion. "N-no! I'm good with dodging, thanks!"

"Is that so? Well, then…" Sheena ceased pelting balls Genis way, and the sophomore shared a furtive glance with Presea. For a split second, Genis sighed a sigh of relief, believing that his two tutors were finally giving a well-earned break. However, as they returned their sights toward him. He could sense something else was hinted when the two girl's locked eyes, and he felt a warning shiver pass through his spine, like the silence before a storm. Synchronized, the two threw up tennis balls and their rackets made contact at the same time. "How about you dodge something coming straight for you?" Sheena exclaimed, as the balls flew across the court.

"Waaahhh!" Genis screamed, frozen at the spot by the sudden unison attack from the two girls. He held out his racket before him, his hands shaking and brain uncertain where to defend himself. "_Where are they going to hit? My leg, my arm, my chest? Where? Where are they aiming for?"_

As if he had super powers, both yellow balls slowed down the closer they got to him. And watching with keen eyes, Genis judged from their trajectory where the tennis balls were going to make impact. _"That one's going straight for my left shoulder, and the other one is headed for my right leg. I've got to act fast!" _Genis instinctively shifted his body to dash backwards and to the right, but as he set his plan into motion, he noticed something wrong with the way the balls kept soaring. _"What? The balls! They put a spin to them? Crap!" _It was too late, however. And Genis, cursing, saw the ball that he thought was aimed for his shoulder curve drastically onto the path straight to his forehead.

_SMACK!_

"AAH!" Genis cried, as the ball made contact with his cranium. Taken off guard, he couldn't avoid the ball following the first either. The second ball ricocheted off the court and flew right into the knockout zone… his crotch.

_SMACK!_

"GAH!" was the final sound that escaped Genis as he fell over in a fetal position on the court floor. His racket finally had left his grasp and clanged noisily on the pavement of the court, having failed in protecting its master. And his pride as a man had been hurt in more ways than one.

Over at the other end of the court, Sheena winced, "Ouch… I guess we accidentally overdid it, didn't we, Presea?"

Presea quietly nodded before setting off. "I'll get an ice pack from the cooler."

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Saturday]**

With the week of classes over and the weekend ahead of the Symphonia gang, you'd think that they'd be taking a break before exam week starting on Monday of next week. But rest would only come to Lloyd and Genis if and only if they passed their pre-tests of approval. The two teens had promised themselves if they ever got through the hell of this tutoring term, that they would never ask for academic help from any of their friends again, or at least not let blabbermouth Mithos know about their trivial troubles. Already assimilated into their respective tutoring regimes, Lloyd and Genis, after a hearty breakfast, bid their farewells at the usual cafeteria roundtable and departed to their final tutoring locals. For Lloyd, it was back to the fountain of Martel.

Upon arrival, Zelos was completely upfront with the lesson, never fluffing it up but going straight to business. "Now, Bud, today is the day where you have to give it your all. The final test focuses on Writing. It requires you to be spontaneous and react efficiently to whatever the test prompts you to write about. In the real world, girls are just the same. Although you write with a pen during the SECC, in a real situation your pen is the thoughts that you tell the girl, the one you must conquer and make fall to your charms. For this last lesson, I won't intervene or give you tips. Just remember everything that I've told you. You got that?"

Lloyd nodded in response. Even though the brunette hadn't trusted Zelos at the very beginning, Lloyd had eventually picked up on the Ways of Zelos and the moral lesson behind each one. This final pre-test, Lloyd thought, would be a synch. "Got it! Now bring on the final test. I'm ready to get it over with."

The elder student smirked, and he patted his pupil on the back. Turning Lloyd around to the masses of people surrounding them by the fountain, Zelos said, "Your final test is to sweet talk as many girls as you can. Woo them off their feet! If you can do that, then I'd say you're ready for the SECC, Bud."

"Alright... Here it goes!" Lloyd rallied his own morale as he strut off to the first random chick he laid his eyes on.

"Make me proud, Lloyd!" Zelos encouraged from afar, watching his prodigy blossom before his eyes. The red-head chuckled to himself as he examined Lloyd's progress. "And good luck... You're gonna need it." A devious smile tickling the edges of his lips.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Elsewhere, on the other side of Symphonia Academy's campus, was the P.E. field. There Genis, Presea, and Sheena had finally suited themselves up for one final pre-test, all of them back into their sweaty gym shorts and tank tops. But today's lesson made their apparel slightly different. Placed snug on both Presea and Genis' heads were padded helmets; on their knees, shins, and elbows were guards; and on their hands pleather gloves. Just the sight of them and Genis knew something was going down. Or rather, he thought _he_ himself was going down. _"Today, the final lesson, will have Presea and I sparring against one another,"_ Genis thought while readjusting his gear to be more comfortable and less restricting. His wish wouldn't come true, however. Being under the sun's rays kept him sweating and his gear forever unsettled.

Sheena approached the two of them on the field and placed her hands on both of their shoulders. "I guess I don't need to say anything now, do I? You two seem packed for action as it is!" Sheena joked. The raven-haired turned to Genis, giving him one last minute lecture. "Don't be nervous," Coach Sheena told him upon sensing his body shaking underneath her grasp. "You two are just two friends in a friendly competitive brawl. Plus, there's nobody else that's watching, so loosen up a bit, Genis." Sheena nudged the young half-elf in the arm.

"Y-y-yeah..." Genis barely yelped out through his nervousness. His sapphire eyes, which were filled with anxiety, were pinned down to the battleground below at his now trembling feet. Any second and his knees would buckle. "T-two friends just d-d-dueling each other... No biggie," he tried to convince himself. But, no matter how he wanted to sway himself, his thoughts kept returning to one thing: her, Presea. _"I-I'm versing her! She's my friend and a girl! … I-if I hurt her, I'll be known as the jerk who burned down the academy P.E. field AND beat up a girl... What am I suppose to do?"_ Frustration began to boil into Genis' blood, so he clenched his first by his sides in an attempt to curb it.

Seeing his internal meltdown, Presea reached out to him. "Genis..."

He flinched instantly at her touch. If he hadn't restrained himself, he probably would have accidentally smacked her. "Wah! Oh... Presea. S-sorry about that." Genis fought the embarrassment creeping on his cheeks by glancing away.

"Give it your all, okay?" Presea simply said.

Though, still combating his nerves, Genis mustered up a nod.

"Don't hold back," Presea added as she turned to go to her starting point on the battlefield. "Promise me that, please." Her last words stuck to Genis, even as she departed. It was in the way she said it and the choice of her words that Genis began to realize what Presea's intentions were.

"_She wants me to do my best... or else she'll be disappointed. In me." _He softly smiled at the thought and finally unclenched his shaky hands._ "I can't let her efforts of trying to tutor me go to waste. I've gotta try!"_

"Are you both ready?" Sheena, using a megaphone, called from mid-field, which Presea nodded to and Genis sent an "okay" her way.

"Yeah, I am ready..." Genis firmly whispered to himself, no hesitation left within him. Before Sheena announced the beginning of round one, Genis yelled out to his sparring partner, "Good luck, Presea!"

And even though, she didn't say anything, Genis swore he noticed the faint curl her lips took upon hearing his words.

"Let the match... BEGIN!"

_~ S.S.D. ~_

Back near the fountain of Martel, to say Lloyd Irving was 'amazed' at the results of his flirting with girls would be an understatement. He was astounded, flabbergasted, and won over to the Ways of Zelos completely by. Throughout the many sea of girls he had waded himself in, he had not only gotten the attention of them, but he got them attracted and in a trance with his charisma. Something about the way he carried himself and the way he spoke got the women to speak on the same wavelength as him, and he commanded each conversation with every word and gesture. By the end of his umpteenth chat with an unknown girl from the academy, Lloyd's pockets were filled to the brim with numbers and even some presents to his pleasant surprise.

"Over twenty girls' phone numbers, candy, gald, and other random goodies? Why didn't Zelos teach me the Ways of Zelos earlier? I can live the good life surviving off of just this," Lloyd smugly thought, as he chowed down on a hot dog that one of the girls had bought for him at one of the park vendors. Once he finished his meal, Lloyd surveyed his area, trying to spot any girl he had missed.

A majority of the female crowd had left by now; it being past noon, students usually would be hitting up the mall on a Saturday or go eat lunch to retreat from the outdoor heat. But apparently, a single girl had stayed. There, kneeling by the fountain of Martel, was a girl with long hair that was the same color as Lloyd's. And from there, Lloyd went through the motions.

"_Brown hair like me. Not too tall. Compatibility? Check! No on else around, just me and her. Do I have a chance? Check! She's kneeling in a meditative state in daylight. What's she thinking about? Her hopes and wishes to Martel. Check!"_ And with that, Lloyd pranced off with a spring in his step, snatching up a spare umbrella from one of the park vendors as he passed by. Just as he opened the umbrella, Lloyd hovered it above the kneeling girl, shading her from the harsh sunlight. "I know you weren't praying to Martel for company, but it isn't good for a girl like you to be burning up under the hot sun," Lloyd suavely said, a charming smile on his face for her to see. When she stood up and turned around, however, that smile disappeared faster than Lloyd on fried chicken day at the cafeteria. "Chocolat?"

"YOU? _You're_ trying to flirt with me?" the brown-haired girl shouted with an explosive fury. "After what you did to me, you still have the nerve to toy with my feelings?" Chocolat, without blinking, snatched up Lloyd's umbrella and collapsed it. "How _DARE_ you, Idiot Irving!" she cried, swinging at Lloyd with the umbrella as if it were a sword.

"OW! I'm—OW! Sorry!" Lloyd pleaded behind his arms that shielded his face. But it was no good, and the girl kept pounding him with his own umbrella. So, unable to do anything else, Lloyd sucked up his pride and bolted in a random direction, content on going anywhere away from her. "Why me?"

"Come back here, Idiot Irving! This time you'll pay!" Chocolat menacingly threatened on his heels.

From the sidelines, sitting at the usual table on the hill and sipping tea was Zelos Wilder. He lowered his spy shades as Lloyd and Chocolat faded off into the distance, and the red-haired shook his head, amused by the sight. "I could have told him that Chocolat comes here regularly every Saturday... But that wouldn't be a fun lesson!" Zelos laughed aloud, returning to his tea and relaxing at the hilltop.

_~ S.S.D. ~_

"_Give it your all..." _rang in the mind of Genis Sage. His body still holding up from whatever Presea threw at him.

A punch flies by to his chin, and Genis dodges to the side. A sweeping kick to throw him off his feet comes next, but he evades that too by hopping over it. Another wild fist follows, and again, he sidesteps away. Nothing Presea sends his way makes contact with Genis, and he can sense that frustration building within her as her strikes become more and more desperate. She wants to make one shot land. But Genis never breaks concentration; he's focused on not getting hit. And that bothers Presea further.

In-between her attacks, Presea asks, "Why aren't you fighting, Genis?"

"I'm," he dodges her kick and her question, "avoiding your attacks, aren't I?"

"That's not the point." She charges forward, and before he can get away, Presea has him right in her grasp and she drives him into the ground with a mighty shove. As Genis is writhing on the ground from the blow, Presea gets up and dusts herself off. "You may not be hesitating to dodge my attacks, but that doesn't mean you aren't hesitating to attack me..." Presea sighs, turns, and readies herself to walk away. "I cannot fight anyone who isn't willing to fight me as an _equal_, Genis."

Genis can only stare defeated at the ground, lost in thought, _"Don't hold back... Promise me that."_

Hearing no response, Presea takes one step forward, then abruptly stops mid-step... And ducks.

_Swoosh!_ was the hollow sound of a fist flying through the air, right over Presea's head. Retaliating, her instincts kick in and she swings her legs into a sweeper, knocking her assailant on his back again.

"Augh..."

Presea faces him, offers her hand, and gently smiles. "Nice try."

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[Sunday]**

Saturday comes to a close, and Lloyd and Genis find themselves relaxing as best as they can in dorm room 72. They have returned to their old routine: Genis on his bed with his study materials and Lloyd playing his RPG shooter at full blast. The two, having gotten through the hell week of tutor time with Zelos and Sheena, gave themselves this needed break, avoiding their other friends ever since the end of the tutoring. The last thing they needed before exam week was to be constantly reminded of their failures simply by seeing a familiar face. But the reality still stood. How were both teens going to pass the exams? Neither thought their tutoring sessions did anything other than give themselves pain.

Just as Lloyd's cell phone chimed, the meditative silence was broken between the two friends.

"Who's that?" Genis, looking up from his notes, asked.

Clicking through the text message, Lloyd sighed. "It's Colette... She's worried why we're not having fun with everybody else the day before exam week starts."

"Oh..."

Lloyd pauses his game and, dropping his controller, groans, "What are we going to do? We're so screwed! I don't feel like anything Zelos taught me will help me during the SECC."

"You said it... I'm so sore that despite hearing all the cues and tips from Sheena and Presea, I doubt that I'll be able to run through the paces again for the AAA," Genis admitted, rubbing his sore muscles.

"If only there was something, anything we could do..."

"Yeah, like I could borrow your body for my AAA tests and you could borrow my brain for the SECC. Hah, if only!" Genis laughs at his own crazy idea.

"Wait..." Lloyd jumps out of his gamer chair. "That's _IT!_ That's what we'll do!"

Genis goes wide-eyed at the revelation. "Woah, nonononono! You better not be thinking what I think you're thinking, Lloyd!"

The brunette leapt over to Genis and grabbed him by the collar. "Oh, yes I _AM!_ Now help me find those wigs from Halloween! They'll be our saving grace!" Lloyd sings as he dives under Genis' bed and starts throwing Genis' clothes left and right in full-out search mode.

Still sitting on his bed, Genis shakes his head with a hand covering his forehead. Grumbling to himself, he says, "... What have I done?"

_~ S.S.D. ~_

**[5 Days Later... Friday]**

The two teens left their final exams and had met up with each other at one of the courtyards, ready to celebrate their plan's success. To outsiders, they appeared to be normal academy students, but they both knew how truthful that was. After enacting their Operation: Halloween In Summer Switch, which Lloyd fondly nicknamed, Lloyd and Genis dawned respective wigs, a silver one for Lloyd and a brown wig for Genis. Since Symphonia Academy students had to wear uniforms, clothing was effortlessly dealt with. The true testament to their disguises came when the exams began. Both of them had different exam times for the AAA and SECC, so they planned accordingly as to when and how'd they switch out and take each others exams. And I know what you may be thinking? How come their professors didn't recognize that there were different people taking someone else's test? Well, professors aren't allowed to proctor trimester exams. Instead, the academy has designated testing administrators proctor the tests. So fooling the nameless folks turned out to be less than a challenge. They repeated this plan throughout the entire exam week, and now they found themselves soaking in the fruits of their labor, as they strolled over to the nearest bathroom to remove their wigs.

"My Martel... Five days later, the exams are done, and it _worked_?" Genis questioned aloud. "It's hard to believe we didn't get caught."

"See, what did I tell you!" Lloyd said, smacking Genis reassuringly on the back. "My ideas are foolproof!" As if to jinx them, Lloyd's claim summoned a certain blonde-haired girl to come barreling around the corner. "Oh, crap! Colette! Turn around, turn around!" Lloyd commanded Genis, and the silverette obeyed.

"What is she doing here?" Genis asked while ducking his head.

"I don't know, but remove your wig!" Lloyd said, and they both got to taking out the pins keeping their wigs on.

Once Genis removed his spiky brown-hair, he glanced over to the corridor Colette came out of. "Phew, she's gone..."

"Really? Oh good, because for some reason this wig is stuck!" Lloyd complained, tugging on the fake silver hair. "Seriously, how do you deal with unruly hair like this everyday!"

"Oh, shut up, and let me help you!" Genis retorted, doing his best to ignore the comment.

"Owowowow! Watch it, Genis!"

"Sorry, but it's _your_ brunette hair that's stuck to the wig! … See!"

"See, what?" Lloyd said, stopping his assault on the wig.

"'See'? I didn't say that..." Genis gravely spoke. They both glanced at each other before turning back down the corridor.

There Colette was skipping down the sidewalk, but this time, she was tugging Raine along with her.

"See! I told you Lloyd and Genis would be around here. Now we can all celebrate like how we used to in Iselia!" Colette sang happily.

"OH SHIT!" the two troubled teens cursed underneath their breath. This time, they pulled at Lloyd's wig with all their strength, regardless if they looked like idiots. Despite their desperate efforts, it was too late, and Raine spotted them from the other side of the courtyard.

"Lloyd? Genis? What are you two doing?" Raine threw out her query and a dissecting gaze.

The two freshmen flinched at her voice and slowly turned to face their Professor. "H-hi, Professor!" "H-h-hey, s-sis!"

Her brow raised higher as she stepped closer towards them, noticing the odd color of Lloyd's 'hair' and the wig behind Genis' back. "What are you two doing with your old Halloween wigs?"

"You know!" Lloyd nonchalantly responded. "The usual! Just seeing how it feels to be in the other's shoes and how rewarding it is to get to know each—RUN GENIS!" And Lloyd broke out into a mad sprint in the other direction.

Genis, who had a significantly slower reaction time, panicked. "W-what? Wait up, Lloyd!" And the silverette too put himself into gear, running to catch up to his fleeing friend.

Unlike the two teens, Raine was prepared for anything. She calmly raised an open fist, and she aimed it at the eldest freshman. A bright aura surrounded her and elven glyphs began to materialize at her feet. Her eyes shone the same illuminating gold, and her voice just as heavenly as she spoke,_ "Photon!"_

Before Lloyd could take another step, a blinding white orb blurred his vision and exploded in front of him. The spell knocking him back several feet, flying backwards even past Genis. "Ahhhhh!" Lloyd cried before hitting the ground.

Seeing his friend fall, Genis doubled back, scared, and hovered over the lifeless body. "Lloyd! You gotta get up or else she'll catch us!"

"It's too late, Genis," Raine's voice reverberated into his ears and a shiver ascended up his spine. His fate was sealed and he knew it was no use running anymore.

Genis stood up and earnestly pleaded, "I-I know... J-j-just make the p-punishment quick." He closed his eyes and put his hands up in surrender. And then...

_BAM!_

The younger elf was down for the count. Raine's punishment kick was almost the deadliest thing in her arsenal, next to her own cooking of course. Colette, who had witnessed the shocking scene play out, ran up to her fallen friends.

"What happened, Professor Raine?" Colette asked while bending over to each of the boys and checking their pusles.

Raine sighed and simply said, "They'll be okay, Colette. This is just what happens when students cheat on their exams. Consider this as part of their punishment, _along_ with them re-taking their exams and doing community service, to amend for their actions."

And even though they were knocked out, the two teenage boys heard ever word their Professor had said, and they groaned in unison.

* * *

**Author's Note**

I don't know why, but I haven't felt this unsatisfied with a chapter in a long time. Maybe because I didn't have fun writing the rest of this chapter like I did when I first started it? Or maybe it would have been better if I had wrote it beginning to end, without the big break? Either way, I'd like to apologize for the quality. I highly was proud of the concept, it's just that executing chapters has become harder for me the longer I let something sit on the back of my mind. So I understand if you guys didn't find it as enjoyable as the other chapters.

_Fun Facts of this Chapter:_  
*Genis' tutoring sessions day 2 & 3: The unlucky events he experienced are based off of my own life, believe it or not. I was running one day immediately after breakfast one morning, and, just like Genis, I hurled bad. Such a nasty experience. Yuck. As for the tennis scene, we were practicing serving in my tennis class and my partner served it and it, again like Genis, flew in my crotch zone. Safe to say, thank God I'm a girl or else it would've hurt like the dickens, I bet.  
*Mithos never appears in this chapter: This is because I had to cut off Chapter 9 at the part it was or else it would've gotten too long. So that's why Chapter 10 has no Mithos. Doesn't play a part in this exam arc after that point.  
*Chocolat's appearance: She was originally not suppose to appear in any of Lloyd's tutoring sessions. The tutoring sessions were never planned out until a few months ago. So she's a spur-of-the-moment cameo. Hope it was an unexpected, but enjoyable one.  
* Raine's punishment: Seem familiar? This is a parallel scene to the original punishment in-game, where Raine kicks Lloyd and spanks Genis for skipping school.

**[LONG IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT AHEAD (feel free to skip this)]**

Moving on, I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. Fanfic-wise and real world. I've finally gotten the files I need to continue my fanfics, so hooray for me for doing so! I'll finally be able to write again, but not as fast as some would like I'm afraid. By July 18th, I'll be heading over to my college orientation, and I fear that from then on out, I'll be head deep in trying to get myself wrapped around this college business. So fanfic writing will be nothing but a super down-time hobby. Which leaves the big reveal...

_Should S.S.D. continue?_

I know you readers with a good memory will say, "Hey, Christa! You said before that you wanted to see this story to the end! What happened to that promise?" I know, I know. It pains me to part with my first ever fanfic. So trust me how hard it is for me to decide to ask such a question. It's just that it's become this stagnant, the rate I update this story that is. And I'm afraid that this story will never reach an end at all.

S.S.D. originally had planned over 40 chapters, which are broken up into 3 "trimesters". We haven't even reached the end of the first trimester, so you can see how worried I am with this story.

So what I'm trying to say is how would you guys react if I ended S.S.D.? Would you rather want it to end at the first trimester, abruptly like here, or do you really want this to continue until I lose steam with this? (The final choice does not mean I promise to finish the story, only that I will go as far as I can with it.) I want your honest opinion here. So fire away.

Before some point out how this is detrimental to the story arcs I have placed, I am aware of that. I had so much planned out, to have each character go through a growth of some sort and the plot to unfold into its true potential. So yes, I realize cutting the story short will kill whatever important elements I had going for me.

The choice of ending S.S.D. does not affect any current on-going fanfic of mine. I will still continue The Hourglass Effect since I'm more invested into my original plot-line than this school-life re-imagining and because T.H.E. is significantly shorter. Just personal preference, sorry.

In all, depending on if I end S.S.D. sooner than let it die off later, it will help me dive into other more original stories I've had in my reserves, so please take that into account too. At the very end of S.S.D., I planned on revealing how I was working on a Project Resonating Hearts. "Resonating Hearts" coming from the name of one of the mystic artes I would unveil in this story. This would be my version of a sequel to Tales of Symphonia, me trying to delve deeper into their lore of the origin of mana and the creation of the world of Aselia as well as explain what happened to the gang after the worlds were united. I love fan sequels of ToS, which is the main reason I became addicted to FFnet. Seeing all the original sequels made me wish to make one of my own, and, after the disappointing experience I had with DtNW, that only deepened my desire to write a sequel.

I'm not saying that my version of a ToS sequel will be coming any time soon if I do end S.S.D. at this moment. I still have to write out a full outline of it if I ever did seriously consider it, and I still want to finish T.H.E. And there are other ToS stories other than this possible sequel, too.

There you have it! There! I am done rambling. I promise. I typed out my heart and mind all out here for you. And I ask you kindly to let me know your thoughts on all this S.S.D. dilemma of mine. I sincerely thank those who have stayed with me ever since the beginning, and I commend those further who have reviewed S.S.D. every step of the way. You people have truly shaped my FFnet experience to an over-the-top enjoyable one and have helped me grow as a writer.

Seriously, thank you to each one of you, the lurker (which I used to be on this site, so don't feel bad if you're one!), the casual reader, the devoted reader, and the reliable reviewer. Thank you for the most rewarding time I've ever had on FFnet. The Tales of Symphonia section will always be my favorite. :)


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